Haruno's words, suggestive and teasing, would usually earn a sharp retort or a flash of anger from her sister. This time, 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 some 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 come 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 judgment, leading to a completely wrong conclusion.
For Yukino, it wasn't a heartbreak. She was simply exhausted, mentally 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 beda 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 underclassmen, Gabriel and Raphiel, were really angels. The school nickname "angel transfer students" had been spot on all along. She wondered what the other students would think if they knew.
Yukino's mind was overwhelmed 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 moment, 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 home.
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 home.
"Yui, did something 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 beyou've got yourself a boyfriend?"
"Eh?" Yui froze, frantically waving her hands. "No, no way! I mean, 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 something 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 mention.
"Yui, just remember, whatever happens, it's important to have the properprecautions."
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 embarrassment exploded as she cried out, "I'm going to my room to do homework!"
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 Iactually falling for him?"
One day between classes.
Megumi 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 Ido I really have to learn aboutl-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 *some* boundaries.
"Though," he added lightly, "if you ever want to learn more about the 'worst thing' we talked about, you're welcome to come by my place."
"O-okay, Master. I understand."
Satania stammered, 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 arrivedlate at night, no less. And she wasn't alone; Vignette had come along as well.
"Waaaah, Master, that mangy mutt stole my melon bread again!" Satania whimpered. That "evil dog" had once more taken her beloved snack. "I need you to teach me 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 me?"
Vignette explained her situation earnestly: her allowance was nearly gone. She had to do something "bad" if she wanted to make ends meet 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 me 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 same 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 me these powers!"
Vignette's eyes drifted toward Rei Ao, astonishment 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 something. 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 comes from the demon realm. The more bad deeds we do, the more we receive."
"That's quite a system!" Mai exclaimed, astonished. The demon realm seemed strangely modernized in some 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 chimed in, laughing heartily.
Vignette blushed, both embarrassed and frustrated. "A-and that's exactly why I came to Rei Ao for help."
A demon doing too much good to the point of almost going brokeit was hard for anyone to hold back a chuckle at the irony.
~~~
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Chapter 90: Mischief! The Cause? A Ghost?
Vignette was a demon, but everything about herbeautiful, cute, kind, and gentlecompletely contradicted her title.
Take away the horns, wings, and tail, and no one would ever associate her with a demon. Even Satania, with her mischievous personality, managed to fit the role of a demon a bit better.
Rei Ao tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Vignette, have you ever considered that maybe you were meant to be an angel, but you accidentally ended up in the demon realm?"
"Huh?" Vignette's mind went blank for a second.
Satania gave her a suspicious look. "Waitcould Vignette be a spy sent from heaven?"
"Satania, I'm not a spy!" Vignette protested.
Rei Ao laughed, then turned to the topic at hand. "So, Vignette, you want to learn how to do 'bad things' to increase your allowance?"
Vignette nodded quickly, like a pecking chick. "Yes, yes, yes! I noticed Satania's allowance went up a lot! Can you teach me?"
Her big, hopeful eyes were fixed on Rei Ao.
Rei Ao looked at Satania. "Didn't you tell her anything?"
Satania scratched her head awkwardly. "I, uh, didn't really know how to explain it"
Mai Sakurajima glanced at Rei Ao curiously. "What exactly did you teach her?"
"Love," Rei Ao said calmly.
"Huh?"
"What?"
The simultaneous outbursts from both Mai and Vignette were almost identical.
"L-love?" Vignette's cheeks flushed red. Couldcould this really be considered something bad?
Mai gave Rei Ao a suspicious look. "You're not tricking Satania, are you?"
With a playful smile, Rei Ao replied, "Satania, why don't you demonstrate?"
"N-now?" Satania hesitated, glancing at Mai and Vignette watching her. She felt embarrassed.
"Come on, I am your master, aren't I?" Rei Ao grinned.
"Alright, Master!" With determination, Satania leaned in and gave Rei Ao a quick peck on the cheek.
"Eh?" Vignette was stunned by what she'd just witnessed.
And then, to everyone's surprise, a notification rang out.
Satania pulled out her phone and, seeing the message, her eyes lit up. "I knew it! I'm the baddest demon there is!"
She held her phone up to show Vignette.
[Ding! It has been detected that Satania's 'Mischief Level' has significantly increased. She has been rated as a highly promising demon!]
"What?!" Vignette's eyes widened. She hadn't expected that something like this could really increase the 'mischief level'!
Even Mai, who had initially thought Rei Ao was playing a prank, now looked convinced, though the idea of "love" counting as a serious act of mischief still seemed strange.
Rei Ao, however, began to ponder something important. "Vignette, Satania, I have a question. How exactly is your 'mischief level' being measured?"
Could someone be monitoring their actions from behind the scenes? But according to Raphiel and Gabriel, the three worlds couldn't observe the human world.
Vignette hesitated, then, sensing Rei Ao's concern, explained, "Actually, Rei Ao, you might have misunderstood. Demons growing stronger through mischief is a rule set by the demon realm itself. Our 'mischief level' increases based on our demonic energy output."
Satania, filled with pride, clenched her fists. "Just now, I got stronger again! I bet I'm already stronger than Gabriel and Raphiel!"
Rei Ao activated his perception and observed Satania.
[Demon]: Satanichia Kurumizawa McDowell
[Level]: 30
[Abilities]: "Dragon Power," "Demonic Magic," "Rei Ao's Blessing," "Inherent Device: Satan"
A single kiss, and she jumped to level 30? No wonder Satania had no hesitationthis really was a huge boost.
Even Rei Ao felt a hint of temptation. He wondered what would happen if he himself could gain demonic powers.
He gazed intensely at Satania, already calculating how to convince her to make a deal.
"Huh? Master, why are you staring at me like that?" Satania wiped her face and checked her hand. "There's nothing on my face."
Mai Sakurajima pulled at Rei Ao's thigh, trying to redirect him. "Rei Ao, focus on the main task here." That fiery look of hisshe'd seen it before when he looked at her. She felt it was time to stop him before he got any ideas.
Rei Ao withdrew his gaze, as instructed. Vignette, however, spoke up shyly, fidgeting with her fingers. "UmRei Ao, isn't there some other kind of 'bad' thing I could do? Love still feelsreally embarrassing."
"I understand." Rei Ao stroked his chin thoughtfully. "If you don't want to do anything truly bad, this might be the simplest approach."
After a moment of thought, he added, "But I've noticed a difference in Satania's mischief level increase this time compared to last."
"Difference? What's different?" Satania, too, felt that something was off. Suddenly, she clapped her hands together as if having an epiphany. "Oh, yeah! This time, I didn't unlock a strange new power!"
Of course, she hadn't. That was part of Rei Ao's blessing.
Rei Ao, though, wasn't referring to that. "No, I mean the magnitude of the increase."
"Huh?"
"This time, Satania's mischief level jumped significantly."
Satania's face lit up with excitement. "Really? Why, Master? What's going on?"
Rei Ao had a theory. Unlike last time, there were now two additional people present: Mai and Vignette. And with all these "test subjects" here, he could further explore his hypothesis.
Pulling Mai close by the waist, he said, "Mai, help me out for a second."
In the midst of three shocked stares, he kissed Mai on the lips. She resisted briefly, uncomfortable with an audience, but soon responded.
"???"
The sight was so shocking that Vignette and Satania instinctively wanted to cover their eyesbut still couldn't look away.
As things grew more passionate, a notification rang out on both girls' phones.
They picked them up to check.
[Mischief Level Increased!]
"Itincreased?!" Vignette was speechless, unsure of how this happened.
Rei Ao and Mai separated, her face flushed. Smiling, Rei Ao said, "It seems my theory was correct'peeking' might also count as mischief."
