Two For One Deal (Welcome To Demon School, Iruma-kun!/SI)

[Leekz01]

Spoiler: Optional Music

I glanced up at the starry sky, eyes reflecting the countless tiny lights as if it were a mirror. What sort of mysteries were hidden up there, I wondered.

A cool breeze swooped across my face, pushing my azure locks aside and blocking my view. It was a cold night, but I barely felt it with my thick jacket.

I shut my eyes and tried to imagine it, ignoring the itch that was coming from my back. There, far away on a distant planet, was life. At least that's what I hoped. There were people just like me and the humans. Maybe I was from somewhere like that?

I opened my eyes and stood back up, studying my surroundings. The park was mostly empty today, though I could see a dim light in the distance. My stomach rumbled and I considered heading over there to see what the others might have to eat.

Hmm. They'd normally only share food if they could spare any, but I was still technically a kid. If I asked nicely enough they'd give me some. I found that humans were nice like that. Sure, not all of them were so friendly, but I didn't let the bad ones taint my interactions.

It was a case-by-case thing.

I yawned and stretched out my arms. Nah, I'd wait for him. He was the sort of guy to come even if it was pouring out.

A small, amused smile tugged at my lips. It was his greatest strength and weakness. No matter who it was, he'd help them if they only asked. He just couldn't say no.

"I guess I should head for the entrance to make sure no one else bothers him," I said to myself. I could see him giving away some of the food to the other guys if they asked enough. Hell, there was that one time he had to leave and come back because he'd given all my food away.

Again, that kindness of his was a double-edged sword. Thankfully, I'd at least gotten him to let me speak up for him if I was around. It didn't solve the problem, but it was a good start.

I slowly started making my way along the path. My thoughts inevitably drifted to how I'd gotten here.

My blue hair and crimson eyes were always a problem. Even as a kid, I always drew everyone's attention to me. That would have been fine normally, but I wasn't exactly normal. Oh, I looked like any other kid my age now, but that wasn't always the case.

The tiny itch that had been probing at my back continued to grow until I could barely hold it in anymore. Maybe it was the weather, but today had been unbearable. I took a quick look around and let out an annoyed sigh.

A small pair of black wings tore their way out of my back. The thick coat I had on kept them from spilling out for everyone to see, but the trade-off was the annoying pain. It was like pulling my fingers back a bit too far. It wasn't something I couldn't hold, but it was still pretty annoying.

But that was just how things were. If I didn't want to be locked up in some freak show of a circus, then this was what I had to do.

I furrowed my brow and shook my head. The past was the past. Things had changed and I wasn't alone anymore.

I didn't know what I was, but that didn't matter. I had a name. I was a person just like anyone else.

I was Lee and that was all that mattered.

But that hadn't always been the case, had it?

My lips trembled with a bitter smile. Humans didn't like different. They'd done horrible things to their own kind just because of different ideologies, skin colour, and opinions. Someone like me who had wings never stood a chance.

"Oh! Lee!" an excited voice cut through the night, pulling me away from my own thoughts.

"S-Sorry I was late!" the young boy standing in front of me said. He was a tad shorter than I and shared the same kind of messy hair. We even had the same shade, too!

"Don't worry about it," I said with a grin and gave him an affectionate pat on the back.

If anyone were to look at us, they'd probably think we were brothers or something. Well, I certainly thought of him as one, but we weren't actually related by blood.

"Let's head somewhere nice to eat these," I said and started leading him away from the park. If I didn't finish everything he'd brought then maybe I'd go and hand some out to the others.

My "brother" nodded and a brilliant, innocent grin appeared on his face. He was too precious.

"So why were you later?" I asked as we walked. "Some old lady didn't ask you to carry her groceries for you, did she?"

A blush crawled across his cheeks.

"Actually, yeah, but that wasn't why," he said with a quick shake of his head. "Mom and dad wanted my help with something."

My smile froze. Now, I wasn't the kind of person to hate others, but his folks were a different beast. They deserved a real beating. I'd honestly considered killing them at one point, but that was back when I wasn't very fond of people.

I knew that even if offing them would make his life better, he'd probably never forgive himself. Not me but himself. That was just the kind of guy he was.

"Just a few more years," I said with a sigh. "You really should just call the cops or something."

Those people didn't deserve to be parents. They were the kind of people that would have their son work for them just so they could take his money. The number of times he'd nearly died because of one of their stupid ideas was baffling!

And yet…

"T-They're not that bad," he said with a sheepish expression. He wasn't fooling anyone, not even himself. But again, that was just the kind of guy he was.

I sighed.

"Never mind then," I grumbled and opened his lunch box. "These look like some mighty good sandwiches."

"I worked extra hard on them!" he exclaimed enthusiastically. "Let me know how they taste. It's a new recipe I've been working on."

I chuckled.

"Sure thing."

As long as he was here, I didn't care what craziness life threw at me.

"Thanks again, Iruma."

He closed his eyes and gave a little smile.

"Yeah!"

 

[Leekz01]

Characters
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Lee

Spoiler

Iruma

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Alice Asmodeus

Spoiler

Clara Valac

Spoiler

Shax Lied

Spoiler

 

[Leekz01]

Spoiler: Optional Music

"Huh? A-Are you lost?" a young, blue-haired boy stuttered out. The pouring rain nearly drowned out his voice. "D-Do you need help?"

He stepped closer, eyes trembling with fear. The bright yellow raincoat covering him stuck out like a sore thumb in the darkness. It was weird, I thought to myself.

The boy was obviously afraid, but he was still getting closer. Why was that?

I tried to growl and tell him to go away, but all that came out of my dried-out throat was a hoarse cough. How long had I been hiding now? A month? Two?

My stomach growled instead. Damn it all…

"A-Are you hungry?" the boy called out and stepped closer into the dingy bathroom. "I-I have some lunch I didn't eat. W-Well, it was more like I was busy helping people so I didn't have a chance to eat it…"

What was he even talking about? I glanced up and really took a good look at his face. Surprisingly, the two of us could have been mistaken for brothers.

Still… if he was offering, then I'd be a fool to turn down the offer, right? Or could this have been a trap? Did the circus master send out little kids to try and bring me back?

…

I stood up and stretched out my leathery wings and tail. I would scare the boy away and take the food by force! That was the best way!

An angry hiss left my lips and I stalked forward menacingly. The boy shook and took a step back. Great! All I had to do was-

I stumbled and fell on my face. It was my own stupid fault. Going without food for the last couple of days had been a bad idea, but it was still better than being caught.

"Ah!" the boy gasped and then hurried to my side. "I-I think I need to call an ambulance! I'll get an adult, so stay, ok?"

Adult? No!

I reached out and grabbed his arm with as much strength as I could muster. I was so embarrassed when he quickly and easily slipped out of my grip.

"D-Don't…" I managed to eke out. "Don't t-tell anyone…" Who was I kidding? He'd obviously go call someone else. He looked around my age, which meant he was probably just scared and didn't know what to do.

"Ok," the boy said with a nod. "Do you want my food, then?"

I was shocked. Was there really someone who'd listen to me? I looked like a damned freak! And yet-

I gave him a hesitant nod. It was embarrassing to have someone feed me, but I'd have been even angrier If I was caught because I didn't have any energy to run.

"M-My name is Iruma," the young boy said. "What's yours?"

"Lee…"

————————

My eyes snapped open and I let out a yawn. Another dream? I got off my "bed" and stretched out my body.

How differently would things have turned out If I never met Iruma back then? I shook my head, dispelling those thoughts. The past didn't matter. I was in the here and now.

"I guess I'll go check up and see how he's doing," I said with another yawn. Knowing him, he'd probably need help with something.

I looked up at the rich, blue sky and smiled. The sun was shining, the birds were singing, and it was a beautiful day.

I had a good feeling about today!

——————

"What the hell do you mean your parents sold you?!" I shouted. It felt like my head was about to explode!

No, seriously! What. The. Fuck?!

My blood boiled at the thought. Distant memories started crawling under my skin and rising to the surface.

Iruma sighed. His eyes were red and puffy.

"They apparently made a deal with some demon or something," he said with a shrug. "I thought they were joking, but he… he really looked the part."

Again. How. The. Fuck?!

I wanted to tell him that was impossible. Demons weren't real, right?

…

Except I was clearly not a normal human. Was that what I was? A demon? No. This had to be some sort of stupid human trafficking thing.

"Let's call the cops," I growled. "I know you love your folks despite everything they've done, but even you have to admit that this is too far."

A weak, almost broken whimper rolled off his lips.

"Maybe… maybe they had a good rea-"

"They didn't!" I roared. "Fuck, If I see their stupid faces again I'll knock them out!"

This wasn't the kind of shit I was expecting when I snuck through his window. He'd looked down, but this was… this was insane.

Iruma's face wilted. He turned to the door, eyes locked onto some impossibly distant scene only he could see. His parents wouldn't be back for a bit- that's what he'd told me. Apparently, they'd gone somewhere with the "demon" to finalize the contract.

"Fine," I bristled. "If you don't want to hurt them, then let's get the hell out of here," I said and held out my hand.

He tore his gaze away from the floor and looked up at my hand.

"I don't know who the hell that guy is, but you know how strong I am!" I could punch a hole through a tree if I tried hard enough. I'd kicked the asses of any bullies I ever met. I didn't know who this "demon" was, but he'd end up meeting a real demon if he came after Iruma.

Iruma gulped and reached out with a trembling hand. Anyone that could make him look so weak and scared wasn't someone I could just ignore. I'd promised not to hurt his parents, but this really was too far.

"I-"

He never got a chance to finish. The door to his room was swung open and the metal lock keeping it shut was blasted off its hinges.

"Oh, dear grandson! I'm here!" a strange man stepped into the room. He was bald and two thick, curved horns were sprouting from his head.

His suit was an eye-catching purple, but that wasn't what drew my attention. No. This man screamed of death. Every fibre of my being told me he was a monster.

We had to run. He would kill us and feast on our bones. The friendly and kind smile on his face was a deception!

At least that's what my instincts told me.

I grabbed Iruma without a second thought and jumped for the window.

And then darkness consumed my vision.

All I knew was oblivion.

 

[Leekz01]

Spoiler: Optional Music

There were many kinds of fear. The fear of death, the fear of change, and the fear of the unknown were just a few. That last one was usually what scared people the most.

Me? There were lots of things that scared me, but only a single one really shook me to my bones. Losing the one I'd call a friend- no, a brother.

My eyes snapped open in fright. Sweat rolled down my back.

Where was I?

What was going on?

Where was Iruma?

I tossed the soft blankets covering me off my chest. This bed was cool and the blankets were refreshing. And yet, they might as well have been ice against my flesh.

I jumped out of bed, eyes drinking in my surroundings. It looked like I was in someone's bedroom. This clearly wasn't Iruma's. It was too neat and had far more things in it than it should.

That boy would have been fine living in a cardboard box so long as he had a blanket.

I slowly shifted toward the door. This wasn't a dream- I could feel it in my bones. Had the "demon" really managed to just knock me out? If so, why put me up in a nice, soft bed?

This didn't make much sense, but I wasn't about to slip up here. The door was close enough to touch. I reached out, fingers brushing against the door handle.

And then it swung open.

I stood there, frozen. The person on the other side did much the same, though their eyes quickly jumped from me to the bed.

He, or at least I thought they were a he, wore a simple butler's uniform. He had bright red hair with sharp eyes to match. His hair was tied up in a small braided ponytail.

What stood out the most were his ears. He had a pair of god-damned cat ears on his head! And then there was the tail. Was this guy cosplayer or-

"You-"

I didn't give him a chance to speak and threw my fist at his face. If he had anything to do with the one who "bought" Iruma, then I didn't have anything to say to him. I'd knock his ass out and then apologize later If I was wro-

He moved like lightning and easily caught my fist.

"That wasn't very nice," he said almost monotonously. "Be a good boy and sit down or you won't be getting any breakfast."

…

What? I stared, slack-jawed at this crazy cat-man's audacity. Who the hell was he? I tried to pull my hand away, but It was as if my fist was stuck in a vice. No matter how much I tried, it didn't budge.

I was stuck and clearly, this guy wasn't going to let me go-

"Wait, breakfast?" I asked as my stomach growled in protest. "No, forget about that. Where's Iruma?!"

I hissed, eyes narrowing. It didn't matter if this guy was stronger than me.

"If you hurt him, I swear I'll be chewing on your bones after I'm done with you…" I spoke with surprising calmness. It wasn't a threat- this was a promise.

The strange cat-man rolled his eyes and then pushed my fist. I went flying through the air and landed on the bed.

Noted. He was incredibly strong too.

"Who-"

A mighty pressure crashed into my stomach. Almost all the air in my lungs was blown out in an instant. I gasped and glared at the stranger.

"Say aaaah," he spoke with that dumb look of his. Wait, was he holding out a fork-

Something was shoved into my mouth. It was sweet and full of syrup.

"Tastes good, yes?" he said as I involuntarily bit down and swallowed. Pancakes. He'd laid a tray full of pancakes on my stomach and was now feeding me.

Was I still dreaming? What the actual fuck was going on?

"Iruma is fine," the cat-man said and shovelled another bite into my mouth. "The chairman is looking after him, so it up to me to make sure you're fine."

Chairman?

My blood froze. That demon. I tried to get up but it was as if a mountain was sitting on my chest. This wasn't something a human could be capable of.

"There's nothing to worry about," the cat-man hummed. "I can see you're afraid, but he means you no harm."

"No ha-" I didn't even get to finish my sentence as he quickly shoved another forkful of pancakes into my mouth.

"What you need to worry about is filling your stomach. The both of you are all skin and bones," he said with a sigh. "We'll just have to fix that."

…

Damn it all…

————————————-

"Oh! Lee!" Iruma exclaimed as he stepped through the door. A look of pure relief on his face.

"Ah, good to see everything went ok," the cat man said and finally pulled the tray off my chest and stared straight at me. "See? I told you he was fine," he said with a sigh.

…

I shook my head and slowly got out of bed again. Iruma looked… tired.

"You ok?" I asked hesitantly. He tried to put on a brave front, but I knew better. Some wounds weren't as easy to spot as a bloodied nose or a broken bone.

He gulped, eyes falling to the ground before they rose back up. A weak, glass-like smile wormed its way onto his face.

"Yeah," he whimpered. "I-It's not so bad, you know? Mr. Sullivan said he'll let us live here and… and-"

I shut my eyes and stepped forward.

"It's fine to be angry," I whispered and pulled him closer into a hug. He was my brother in all but blood. How could I just stand there and watch him lie to himself?

A weak cry slipped from his lips and he dug his fingers into my chest.

"H-How could they do it?" he whispered. "I-I did everything for them! Why? Why, Lee?!"

Because they were greedy bastards. They were the scum of the earth who sold their own child to a literal demon. But if that was the case, then who were really the demons here?

I sucked in a breath and answered.

"Forget about them," I said softly. It wasn't something he'd be able to do easily. I knew that. Still, I wasn't the best at motivational speeches or the like. "Instead of focusing on all the pain they forced on you, focus on the fact that you don't have to deal with them any longer."

He was free.

"You can do whatever you want now, right?"

I eyed the mysterious cat-man carefully. Who was he, really? I'd thought him some crazy man with a cat fetish at first, but those ears and tails were real. Was he a demon too? Did that mean I was also one? It would explain my wings and tail.

"No matter what you decide, I'll be right with you, alright?" I finished.

Iruma blinked and pulled away, finally staring me in the eye.

"I… Lee. W-Will you really?"

Of course, I would.

I chuckled and ruffled his azure locks.

"Duh. Come on, we're like brothers, right?"

A massive, toothy grin spread across his lips. It was something so innocent and pure that I almost couldn't believe it.

"Ok. Thanks, Lee."

If we were going to face some sort of demon, then we'd do it together.

————————

"Sullivan," in a word, was terrifying. The man could switch from an affectionate bunny to a deadly hell-spawn in the blink of an eye.

"Yes, yes~" he cheered and nodded along dumbly as I repeated what Iruma had told me.

"Again, you seriously expect us to be your grandkids?"

"Of course!" he continued with that dumb look of his. "I always wanted a grandson, so consider me over the moon when I ended up grabbing two for the price of one!"

"We're not objects to be bought!" I hissed. "Do you really think we want to be here?"

The old man froze. His cheerful and bubbly smile was washed away with one full of despair.

"Oh… then I guess I'd just have to eat your flesh, break your bones, and leave nothing behind..."

He growled out in what I could only describe as a look of a man who'd just had his dreams shattered.

What the actual hell?

"N-No no!" Iruma quickly interrupted. "W-We'd love to be your grandkids!"

Like hell I would! At least that's what I wanted to say, but I knew that'd just get us back in hot water. Cat-man was this guy's servant, or so it seemed. Considering how easily he could fold me over his knee, the old man must have been a real monster.

"That's wonderful!" the crazy old man exclaimed and turned to look at me. "That's one of you, but what about your brother?"

My brow twitched. I didn't know why, but it sounded so patronizing when he said it.

"It's fine," I grumbled.

"Excellent!" he cheered and rushed to us. "I've always wanted grandkids! The two of you are a matching pair! I'll take good care of you! I'll feed you! I'll give you the best clothes and I'll make sure you're both as happy as can be!"

I wanted to throw up. This guy was so darned creepy!

"Oh! And as my grandkids, it's only fair that I give you the best possible education in our demon world!"

…

What.

Demon world? Education?

"Ah. I suppose now would be a good time to explain that," the cat-man said with a cough. "Welcome to the demon world. I'm afraid you two are far, far from home."

…

I turned to the nearby window. It was wide open, showing the landscape beyond. How had I not noticed it before? The skies were a dark red. Putrid, purple clouds rumbled in the distance.

I could have explained those as some sort of wild weather patterns, but not the giant dragons. They flew through the skies like birds. Was this real?

…

"Don't you two worry!" the old demon exclaimed with a sickeningly sweet laugh. "I'll teach you all about your new home! You'll both do great and make me the proudest grandfather of all! Oh, my friends won't be gloating about their kids anymore!"

Was this hell? Had we died?

I wanted to laugh, but I didn't. Iruma was practically trembling at the revelation. Maybe he already knew. Whatever the case, I'd be here to protect him.

School or not, I wouldn't let anyone mess with him.

Not now or ever again.

—————————————

The first few days under Sullivan's "care" was a harrowing experience. Oh, he was a monster through and through, but that wasn't what disturbed me. He showered us with affection, gifts, and his hopes.

"Let's go out for a walk!"

"Iruma~ You look so handsome in that uniform! Oh, I just know you'll show everyone how amazing you are!"

"Lee! Don't think I forgot about you! You'll be pushing the girls away with a broom~"

It was frankly annoying and a bit unnerving. How could someone go from ominously evil to that so fast? It was embarrassing! He made me cringe just seeing him try to "take care" of us.

Was this guy for real?

In the end, I decided that he was either crazy or some sort of eldritch being who I couldn't apply common sense to. Honestly, I wasn't sure which one was worse.

"H-He's not so bad," Iruma tried to convince me. "He's actually better than my-"

He never finished that sentence, but he didn't need to. I could almost laugh at the thought.

"Forget about that," I huffed and dragged him out to our "home's" front yard. The mansion was the kind of place neither of us had ever expected to ever end up living in. I'd never gone to school, but this building was probably big enough to count as one.

The grass was green and the trees were pregnant with some odd fruits that looked like apples. I wasn't going to eat them, that was for sure. Truthfully, I'd lived in worse.

"Do… do you think we'll be ok?" Iruma asked nervously. "This place… Mr. Sullivan says Demons eat humans, or at least they did in the past."

And that was something else. This "world" had been separated from ours for so long that humans were more of a myth than anything now.

I'd never eaten a person, in fact, the idea made me sick to my stomach. I guess Iruma did smell a bit sweet, but that probably had more to do with his hygiene than anything else. Did that mean I wasn't a Demon, but something else? Or maybe I was just desperately trying to cling to what little humanity I had left?

"It doesn't matter where we go," I told him with a confident nod. "I'll kick the hell out of anyone that tries to hurt you."

It was a promise. These weren't people and that meant I wouldn't have any problem tearing them limb from limb.

As long as I saw them as the demons they were, then it would be easy to kill them, right?

Right?

That was what brothers did.

"Thanks," Iruma whispered and sucked in a breath. "I don't know what I'd do If I was here alone."

I smiled softly.

"You'd be fine," I said confidently. "You're the kind of guy who could make even a demon his friend."

I was living proof of that, wasn't I?

 

[Leekz01]

Spoiler: Optional Music

My eyes snapped open and I could practically feel the exhaustion clinging to me like some sort of anchor. With as much determination as I could, I rolled out of bed and fumbled my way to the window.

The bright, rising sun blinded me for my efforts.

What time was it? Ugh… I did not like soft beds. They were like a swamp that wanted to swallow me. Sure, they were comfortable, but I couldn't catch any damned sleep on them! I guess that was just one consequence of sleeping on crappy beds for a good portion of my life.

"I still can't believe this is all real," I whispered and stared out at the horizon. My new "home" was like something out of one of Iruma's fairy tales. The mansion was massive and that was just the house. There was a sea of green not far from my new home. The forest stretched out as far as I could see.

A distant howl echoed from within it, washing over me. Yeah… what the hell was in that forest?

I shook my head and took a look in the mirror. The "pyjamas" I was wearing made me cringe. They weren't the worst things I'd ever worn but they definitely were not my style. The blue penguin-like monsters printed onto the blue hoody and pants were "cute" but cute just wasn't something I liked to show off. At the very least they were comfortable and warm.

I really could have done without the "ears" on the hoody. God, it made me look like a damned toddler! It sucked, but what could I really do about it? That demon had looked so excited when he gave it to me.

…

I wasn't about to piss him off and have him go ballistic. There were no two ways about it. He could kill me and Iruma with a flick of his wrist. I didn't have much pride, but the bit I did would have to be buried deep within me so Iruma would be safe. If that meant wearing ridiculous clothes, then so be it. That was just one of the many sacrifices I'd have to make.

There was a knock at the door.

"Lee? Breakfast is ready," A familiar voice said from the other side. Great, it was the cat-boy suck-up. To be honest, he hadn't done anything to make me personally hate him, but he worked for the old, perverted demon. That was more than enough reason to be annoyed.

"Alright," I said with a sigh. "Give me a few minutes and I'll be down there. Also, Is Iruma up yet?"

"Not yet," he replied. "I'll be checking up on him in an hour or so."

This was one of the things I didn't mind. I woke up early and got to eat breakfast twice. Once right now and then again when Iruma woke up.

It was a shame that all this "delicious" food didn't taste all that good. Iruma's home cooking was way better!

I rolled my shoulder and opened up the nearby dresser. There were a bunch of different clothes inside, but all of them were "carefully" handpicked by the damned old man. Thankfully, there was one piece that didn't make me want to sigh.

It was a simple pair of red shorts and a plain white t-shirt. This was nothing fancy, but that was how I liked it.

My stomach let out a growl.

Time to go grab some grub.

——————————————

"Good morning Lee-ke~" the old bastard greeted me with a sugary grin as I made my way to the dinner table. A huge plater of varying kinds of food and deserts had already been laid out.

I sighed.

"I told you not to call me that," I growled out and took a seat on the opposite end of the table.

"But why?!" he exclaimed with a hurt look. "Iruma-kun loves his nickname so much!"

Love? I tried not to laugh. He'd only accepted that stupid thing to keep this old demon from killing us.

"I guess I'm not like Iruma then," I said with a shrug and picked up my fork.

The old demon snorted, though it was this creep kind of thing that almost sounded cute.

He was all sorts of wrong.

"I know, you're the kind that wants to look cool in front of his brother, right? Don't worry, it's just you and I, Lee-ke! You can go ahead and pour out your heart to your grandfather!"

Why did he have to keep this act up? There was no way he was actually this deranged, right? I sure hoped that was true because as much as he scared the shit out of me, it would be way scarier if he was actually like this.

A cunning, deceptive monster with a kind facade was easy to understand. This? This was a wild card that could literally do anything at any time. That was something truly scary.

"Why are you sitting all the way over there?" the old man said with a pout. He stood up and pulled out the chair next to him, giving the cushion a few pats. "Come and sit next to your grandfather!"

Yep. I really hoped this was just some elaborate plan of his. A plan for what? Now that was the golden question.

I hesitantly stood up and grabbed my plate, moving next to him.

"So, Lee-ke! How have you liked your stay at my home so far?"

…

To be honest, it hadn't been so bad aside from the constant fear of death.

I glared at the demon, letting that be my answer.

"You're so adorable when you try to look angry~" he mused and gave my cheek a gentle pinch. "The girls always like a bad boy! Tell me all about any friends you make in school, ok?"

School huh? We were supposed to be starting that tomorrow. Maybe I could try and get some answers out of him now?

"What should we expect there?" I asked and started spearing some of my food with a fork.

"Right! Iruma said you never went to school, huh? Well, he didn't have much experience with school either!"

Damn it, Iruma! The first rule when dealing with kidnappers is to not tell them about our lives! Don't let him stockholm you! The last thing we needed was to look at this guy like an actual grandfather!

"Yeah," I shrugged. "Are the other students going to be as strong as you?"

"Sullivan" let out a laugh.

"I don't want to ruin the surprise," he said cheerfully and started slicing his pie. "But it's a place full of children just like you! Just be yourself and I'm sure everything will be fine."

…

Like me, huh?

"Something wrong, Lee-ke?"

Jesus. If I ever needed a reminder that this guy was supernaturally perceptive, then that was it. I considered just brushing him off, but he was the only real source of answers I could get.

"It's about what I am," I said with a sigh. "Demon, right?"

His face perked up instantly.

"Why, yes!" he exclaimed with a grin. "Color me surprised! To think there was a demon just living in the human world. I doubt anyone just dropped you over there, so It makes me wonder…"

I shrugged.

"Not much to it. Obviously, my mom screwed some guy and then I popped out of her." Even I knew how babies were made.

"Well that's obvious," Sullivan answered with a huff. "But then that begs the question of who your mother was. Perhaps she was a demon that somehow found herself in the human world? Maybe she's from a line of demons that have always lived with humans? I frankly don't have any clue."

Huh. That was a surprising amount of normal talk from this guy.

"But that doesn't really matter~" he said and gave me a big, affectionate huh. "I have a human and a demon grandchild! I must be the luckiest demon in the whole realm!"

Son of a bitch!

I shook my head and ground my teeth.

He wasn't going to make this easy, was he? Fine. It wasn't like I really cared.

Looking after Iruma was my priority, after all.

I'd get stronger- strong enough to get us out of this place.

That was a promise.

————————

"H-Hey… d-do you really think we'll be fine?" Iruma stuttered out. He nervously peered out of the nearby window, eyes glued to the road.

"Yeah," I answered with a nod. "It's just school, right? If anyone tries to bother you I'll kick their ass."

I said that, but even I was a bit nervous. It wouldn't be long before we arrived at the school. The path was treacherous, yet our driver navigated the steep cliffs as if he were just going for a casual walk.

Seriously! One wrong step and we'd all fall to our deaths! Well, not me. I could fly, but It had been a long time since I actually tried. There were just too many cameras and the like back home.

…

Actually, what was stopping me from doing it now? No one cared If I had wings, right? That bastard old man also had wings! It was something to look into later.

"I-I hope so," Iruma whispered and then busied himself looking down at the floor. There was only so much I could say to cheer him up. This was something he'd have to overcome himself, but I'd be right next to him.

I reached out and gave him a gentle pat on the back. My smile didn't do much, but I hoped it at least made him feel a bit better.

School, huh? How hard could it be?

—————

Demons came in all shapes and sizes. There was a girl who only had a single, giant eye. She had a few horns sticking out of her head too.

There was a big lizard guy with green, scaly skin. His fingers were sharp claws that could probably easily shred metal.

Hell, there was even a big furry guy who was some sort of sheep demon. Iruma and I were probably some of the least "demonic' look people here! That did make a bit of sense, I guess.

So there we sat inside some sort of gymnasium. All the students were packed together and stared up at a podium.

When one of the idiots tried to sniff Iruma, I grabbed the bastard's furry beard and told him to keep away. Did he smell delicious? What the fuck was that supposed to mean?

…

Ah. Iruma did say Sullivan doused him in some sort of perfume to trick the noses of the other Demons. I didn't really smell anything different, but Iruma wasn't exactly "delicious" to me. Maybe it was a cultural thing?

Iruma was shaking in his boots. Being surrounded by such demonic people probably wasn't helping. Thankfully, I was sitting right next to him.

Eventually, the "principle" came up and declared that humans were just something to be eaten. Seriously? Trust that old man to make things worse.

"Oh! And I want you all to know that both of my lovely grandsons will be attending school starting today!"

Wait, what?

"Here's a picture of them both! They're right over there, so please be nice to them! Iruma! Lee! Hey! I hope you're both having a great day!"

Oh. My. God.

Thankfully there were too many students to really point us out in the crowd, but still!

Iruma paled and I tried my hardest not to palm my face. There were very few things that could embarrass me, but this had just jumped up to the top.

The people around us started whispering about this and that.

"Iruma and Lee?"

"Who the hell are they?

"I bet I could take 'em..."
Just when I thought things couldn't get even worse, some prim and proper-looking guy walked onto the stage. He looked like one of those k-pop actors or something with all that white he was wearing.

"Oh, don't worry about that Asmodeus-kun. You can leave-" the old bastard stopped. His eyes jumped from me to Iruma. He looked like he was about to have a stroke! Eventually, he pulled a coin from his pocket and flipped it.

"Let Iruma-kun do the speech!"

Ha… and here I thought school couldn't be that bad.

I had completely underestimated Sullivan's meddling.

This was going to be a long school year.

 

[Leekz01]

Spoiler: Optional Music

Words that made absolutely no sense spilled from Iruma's mouth. They were that. Just words. And yet, my skin started to crawl as the first one left his tongue. It was as if the very air had turned slimy.

I shuddered and looked around. The other students were acting odd. They were trembling and doing their best to hold something back. Was it so much of a surprise that I started to panic a bit? What had happened? What was going on?

I prepared to rise from my seat. This wasn't normal. The air was thick as molasses. My muscles tensed.

The students shot to their feet.

"Hell yeah!!!"

"Holy shit!"

"That was amazing!"

The students roared. Primal shouts of joy and excitement echoed through the gymnasium. I didn't know what to say.

"This guy's badass!"

"Doesn't he know what that spell does?!"

"Of course he does! It's why he did it!"

"He's got some balls!"

Spell?

Someone rushed up to the stage. Panic and fear were clearly on the boy's face.

…

I stood there, shocked at what he said. A forbidden spell? Iruma had just chanted one of the most dangerous forbidden spells? Why? HOW?!

"Your arms and legs would have been blown away if you'd made a mistake!"

The boy quickly turned, changing his worried look into one of admiration.

"Not bad, though! Good job!" he said and gave Iruma a thumbs up. "that was kind of cool!"

I was going to kill Sullivan.

————————————

"A fucking anti-trip charm?" I balked. "That's what the 'great' forbidden spell does?"

I wanted to scream. Magic was real, but apparently, it sucked. Either that or maybe someone was drunk when they made that spell.

"H-Ha… yeah," Iruma grumbled, eyes falling down to the ground as we walked through the halls. "It was kind of scary…"

No shit. I'm more pissed than scared, though.

"Just don't read any of the crazy stuff that demon gives you," I said with a sigh. Did we have to start treating everything as if it were a bomb? I guess this was a good reminder of how crazy that old bastard was.

"Forget about that," Iruma said with a sigh. "What's our first class? I kind of didn't pay attention."

Class?

…

"Hell, I wasn't really paying attention either," I said with a shrug. "I'm not really all that interested in school."

Iruma's lip rose into a tiny smile.

"It does kind of suck, but we should at least try to fit in." He shivered and took a quick look around. "We've already gotten a lot of attention, after all."

Silent eyes bore into Iruma's back. Just about everyone we passed took a moment to stare at him. Was this part of Sullivan's plan? What even was his plan?

"I guess standing around would make a bigger scene," I said with a grumble and nodded. "We should probably ask someone or something."

Iruma nodded.

"We can split up and-"

"Nope," I said and cut him off right there. "Not letting you go off alone in this place."

There were literal demons just walking around. That girl over there had snakes for hair! Heck, there was an eight-foot-tall guy that looked like some sort of dragon!

"I-"

Something crashed into me. It didn't hurt and was actually a bit soft.

"S-Sorry," a sensual voice called out from behind me. I turned and found a thing looking at me. It was wearing a girl's uniform, but it didn't look like a girl. It was like some sort of starfish crossed with a cone or something. Her body was a mix of pink and purple.

"Don't worry about it," I said with a shrug.

This "girl" had a single eye and no nose. She also had incredibly long eyelashes. What was she?

She paused for a moment.

"You're cute," the girl eventually said.

…

What? Huh? Cute? Who?

"Are you talking to me?" I asked incredulously. Was this some sort of prank? Iruma had told me about this sort of stuff. Girls were cruel creatures that tricked and made fun of boys by pretending to confess to them. Was this it?

"Of course," the strange "girl" said and winked her three eyelashes seductively. Ha! As if that would work on me.

"Not interested," I answered and turned around. This wasn't the time for stupid pranks. "Iru-"

"…"

What. The. Hell! Where was he?! I looked away for a minute! Why was he always so damned good at disappearing like that?!

"I-I'm sorry," the strange creature asked, surprised at my blunt answer.

I didn't give her a second thought and walked away. God damn it, Iruma!

———————

Iruma was many things, but easy to find was not one of them. I'd never once beaten him in a game of hide and seek when he was actually trying. That probably wasn't what was going on now, but it didn't help my mood. That was the thing with Iruma. He was kind, and generous, but also caused all sorts of grief for those that cared about him. He'd often get into trouble "helping" others.

It was usually my job to get him out of those messes because his parents sure as hell didn't care.

"Oh! Do you mean the guy who did the speech?" the short, green-haired girl asked with a toothy grin.

"Yes," I grumbled. "Have you seen him?"

"Nope!" she replied with a smile. "But I'm sure you'll find him!"

She was no help either. I shook my head and asked the next person to walk by. The blond guy was playing some sort of game, so I almost gave up after asking him once. He clearly wasn't paying attention.

"Huh? Oh! I think I saw him leading that honor student off to a duel or something."

"A what?" I hissed.

"Oh man, you must really be sheltered if you don't know what those are," he said with a laugh. "You know? The thing where you fight another person? They're fun to see!"

"…"

"I think the honor student might have been a bit pissed about having his speech stolen from him. Want to go place bets?"

"Where?" I asked, my voice low.

"Huh? Oh, the courtyard on the east side of the school."

I nodded and bolted past him. There was no time to wast-

"Hey! You're going west!" the blond kid called out.

West?

"What's the difference?" I grumbled. "East means right, right?"

"Like, what? No? East is east and west is west!"

Yeah. Ok. I'd officially run out of patience.

I walked on over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Take me there."

East? West? It didn't matter. I had a guide now.

The kid blinked and then let out a laugh.

"You're a funny guy, you know? Alright! Come on, it's this way!"

That was usually enough to scare people into doing what I wanted. I mean, he was still doing it, but he wasn't scared.

This whole place was full of weirdos

"Name's Shax, by the way. Who are you?"

"Lee."

—————————————-

Iruma and I were alike, but also a bit different. I had no gripes saying he was smarter than me when it came to most things. I sucked at math, telling directions, and a whole much of other things. But I knew a lot more about the world than him. I knew how people would lie, steal, cheat, and abuse their power whenever possible.

Iruma knew a bit about this too, but he clearly wasn't smart enough to keep it in mind all the time.

Why the hell would he follow someone to a fight?! Obviously, he wasn't the one to start it! Here I was, worrying so much about him and trying to keep him out of trouble and he was doing stuff like this! Couldn't he have just talked to me about it? I'd have kicked the shit out of anyone that messed with him!

"You look pissed," the blond guy leading me said with a frown. "What? You wanted to go and see how tough the honor student was?"

I bit my lip and held my tongue. There wasn't a point fighting with this guy. He was the one taking me to Iruma, after all.

"I-"

A deafening explosion struck the nearby window. The glass cracked but was otherwise ok. I ran up, pushing it open. What I saw made my blood boil.

That pampered flop was throwing fireballs at my little brother! Iruma was shaking like a leaf, but he jumped away from each of the guy's attacks. Like a ballerina, he weaved in and out with expert precision.

My little brother was good at dodging- almost supernaturally so, but he couldn't keep it up forever. I jumped out of the window, ready to charge at the idiot who'd tried to hurt Iruma.

I didn't need to. By some quirk of fate, Iruma managed to get his legs around the idiot's neck. The two fell to the ground and there was a crack.

Did he just…

Iruma's eyes shot open and he jumped away. His opponent was on the ground, clearly unconscious and he probably had a messed up neck too.

I didn't know what to say at first. What the hell just happened?

———————

The first day was far from over, but Iruma had already made a name for himself. First, he was bold enough to chant a forbidden spell during orientation. Secondly, he "effortlessly" handled an honor student. Apparently, that guy was from a famous family or something.

It didn't matter to me all that much. Point was, just about everyone knew who "Iruma" was. Our idea to "lay low" had crumbled before the first day was even out.

This was definitely the sort of "bad luck" that cursed the both of us.

…

At least neither of us had been hurt.

"I'm sorry," Iruma whispered. "Someone needed help with directions, and before I knew it I wound up there…"

I wanted to scream.

"Don't worry about it," I said with a sigh. "Look, just try not to leave my sight."

He blinked and furrowed his brow.

"Lee, I know this place is dangerous, but I'm not a little kid."

Seriously? He chose now of all times to start growing a spine? It was the sort of thing I always wanted for him, but now wasn't the time!

I sucked in a breath and turned my attention back to our "class." It wasn't really a class. I'd say it was more of a tour. They were showing everyone around and then we'd have more free time to explore the campus.

This place was more of a castle than a damned school…

"I need to take a shit," I told him flat out. The girls behind us gasped and then started whispering amongst themselves.

As If I cared.

"Try to stay out of trouble, ok?"

Iruma smiled sweetly. It was that kind of smile he did that sparkled sometimes.

"Will do," he said nervously and gave me a thumbs up.

We didn't have arguments very often, but they still happened. I just needed a bit of time to de-stress while I took a crap.

Unfortunately, the world wasn't so kind as to let me have that. Finding a bathroom was easy enough, though i did get lost a bit.

"Hey, this is my spot. Get lost, freshman."

A tall, muscular demon stopped me when I tried to enter one of the stalls. He looked like that green guy from that one movie that loved his swamp. Shiek or something?

"Look, I'm just here to take a dump. I've had a very stressful day, so can you just let me have this?"

He must have been twice my height. The demon jiggled as he laughed.

"Get out before I kick your ass, kid. Find the bathrooms on the other side of the school."

…

Ok.

I calmly walked up to the bathroom's sinks and turned them on one at a time.

"What the fuck are you doing?" he growled and stood over me menacingly.

"Just making it a bit easier to clean up." And with that, I punched him in the face. Once. Twice. Thrice. He was like one of those stress balls I tried to get Iruma to hit once. Yeah. Very pliable and fun to hit!

"S..w..y…"

He gurgled out.

Oh, right. I didn't want to hurt him too badly.

"I'll call a teacher or something," I said and stepped over him, opening one of the stalls. "Let me just take a crap real quick."

Just in case, I left the door open so I could see him. Didn't want him dying on me, after all.

"Ah… that feels great," I said with a satisfied smile.

There really wasn't anything like a good shit to work out some stress.

I guess beating up some demon's ass helped too.

 

[Leekz01]

Spoiler: Optional Music

No one could tell the future. It was a distant path shrouded by fog and a number of twists and turns. That's what made it so scary for most people.

"That was… a weird day," Iruma hummed. The sound of galloping horses and spinning wheels buzzed in the background. "I think it w-went better than I expected, though."

I rolled my eyes. Better? Really?

"You got in a fight with some noble demon or something," I pointed out. "I have no idea how you managed to choke him out, but things could have gone a lot worse."

He could have died. Those fireballs being thrown at him were as real as he or I.

He winced.

"It's not like I wanted to fight him," he answered with a sigh. "It just sort of ended up like that."

I couldn't stay mad at him about this. Both of us had horrid luck, so I wasn't all that surprised that there had been an incident.

"But did you have to take him back to the nurse?" The guy was a jerkass. Personally, I thought leaving him laying on the ground would have been just fine. He wasn't in any danger of dying, after all.

"H-He looked like he was in pain," Iruma replied. "Besides, It was the right thing to do."

Of course, he'd say that. Even after everything, he was just a bit too trusting and kind.

"Alright," I said with a shrug. "But you really have to tell me how you managed that."

He wasn't like me or the other demons here. Iruma was a normal human boy. How was that even possible?

"I-I'm not too sure," he replied. "I just kind of tripped and ended up locking my legs around his throat."

He scratched his cheek nervously.

"I tried getting up, but that just made it worse."

Hmm. That certainly wasn't normal, but it wasn't like I had any ideas either. For now, I guess it was just dumb luck.

I yawned and nodded. Hopefully, this carriage ride wouldn't take much longer. It was surprising how exhausting the day had been. I hadn't even done anything!

"What about your friend?" Iruma suddenly asked.

Friend? What friend?

I raised a brow questioningly.

"I mean that blond guy- the one with the game," he said nervously. "I think he called himself Shax?"

Ah, right.

"Friend's a bit much," I said with a shrug. "He helped me find you, but that's about it."

We hardly spoke after that. Though, I guess he was alright.

"Heh," Iruma said with a cheeky smile. "He seemed kind of happy to talk to you before we left."

I rolled my eyes. Sure, I hadn't been paying much attention, but he was exaggerating. I'd pulled us out of there as soon as I could so that pompous rich kid didn't come back for round two.

"Do… do you think we could make friends?"

I blinked. What sort of question was that, Iruma?

"They're demons," I pointed out.

"But-" he started, only to bite his lip and stop himself. I wasn't the brightest bulb, but even I could read the room. "Some of them seemed… nice. Like that Shax guy."

I wanted to shut down his silly ideas, but I didn't. Iruma could see the best in people, and that was a gift I didn't want to take away from him. It made keeping him safe incredibly difficult, but it also left an obvious question.

Would Iruma still be the same, kind of person who helped me out? Did I really want to change him so much?

…

The answer was a resounding no. I could suffer a bit of annoyance if it meant keeping Iruma mostly the same. All he really needed was a bit more sense and he'd be fine.

He could be the good cop while I'd be his bad cop. That was how we'd been before and nothing would change now.

"Who knows," I replied. "Just try to be careful and call me If anyone starts something. I'll sort them out."

That was my purpose, after all. I'd keep him safe as a big brother would.

Iruma blinked and then nodded with a bright, goofy grin.

"Kay," he said.

I yawned and turned my gaze away from him. The skies were blood red and dark, pregnant clouds were rumbling up above.

I missed the blue skies of home.

—————————

Sullivan was an enigma and I hadn't known him for very long, but he continued to surprise me. It was all rather creepy, to be honest. Was he trying to one-up himself every time he "showed" us his "love?"

We arrived home to him having prepared a bit of a "grandson shower" as he called it.

"And this for the two of you!" Sullivan exclaimed as he gave us some new, spiffy-looking clothes. "These are enhanced with magic to keep you nice and safe!" He said and pointed to Iruma's clothes. It looked like his normal school uniform.

If what he was saying was true, then I was more than grateful. It still didn't change my mind about him, though.

"And this is yours, Lee-ke~" he said with a sugary smile as he held out a red scarf. "Go ahead, try it on!"

…

I had to admit, It did look pretty badass. It was probably as long as I was tall, though a few turns around my neck were enough to make it manageable.

"You can shrink it and expand it at will! Also, it's sort of alive, so treat it nicely, ok?"

Wait, wha-

The scarf coiled around my neck tightly. I coughed as it wrapped around my face.

The damned thing was trying to suffocate me!

"I think it likes you!" Sullivan exclaimed.

Like?! This thing was in the middle of trying to murder me! Or so I thought. It loosened its grip and then stretched itself out, giving me more than enough room to breathe.

I turned and found the blasted scarf just floating in the air around me. It was still wrapped around my neck, but there it was.

If I had my way, I'd burn it down with this damned house and lock Sullivan inside.

"Play nice and it'll listen to what you want," the demonic old bastard said. "You look so cool! Quick! The two of you stand next to each other so I can take a picture of my lovely grandsons!"

God… he was too much.

As if reacting to my thoughts, the scarf lashed out and snatched the camera out of Sullivan's hand.

"What? No! Give it back!' the dastardly demon whined as he rushed forward and tried to get his camera back. Each time he did, the scarf moved away just far enough to stop him.

Huh. Maybe the two of us could get along after all.

Sullivan did eventually get his camera back, but that didn't really matter.

Hopefully, tomorrow would be a better day.

———————————

I'd expected many things when I woke up, but there were just some things no one could ever plan for.

"What the hell are you doing here?" I growled out, eyes trying to melt a hole in the pompous demon's face.

He stood tall and proud. His crimson eyes gazed deeply into my own and then snapped toward Iruma. My brother stiffened under his gaze, taking a step back and hiding behind me. Was he here to pick a fight?

"I'll let you know I won't be nearly as merciful as my brother." I didn't think I could punch explosions away, but the pretty boy was close enough that it didn't matter. I was sure my fist would reach his face before he could hold his hand up.

The boy sucked in a breath and then did something unexpected. He got on one knee and held out his hand toward Iruma.

"I'm not here to cause conflict," he exclaimed with a serious expression. "Iruma-kun has bested me in fair combat."

Oh… then was he here to apologize? Maybe he wasn't as much of an ass as I thought.

"As is tradition, I am his to do with as he pleases!" He got back up and stared at Iruma with a wide grin. "Please let me serve you, my lord!"

And then he tried to tackle him with a hug. Of course, there was no way I'd let that happen. My foot "gently" slammed into his face and I pushed him away.

"Did you get brain damage or something?" I asked with wide eyes. What other reason was there? Maybe he was trying to get revenge? But why go through all this trouble?

"It matters not!" the boy continued. "My solid defeat at his hands showed me how little I really knew." He shook his head and bit his lip. "To judge others by their appearance was foolish beyond measure! Please, let me serve you so I may better myself!"

He stepped forward and gently cupped Iruma's hand.

"With me at your side, we can rule the school! I promise to bring you up as the brightest star in all the realm!"

…

Maybe he wasn't all pish and posh after all. He was just another crazy idiot. Actually, was this a normal thing with Demons? Were they all this weird?

Iruma turned to me for an answer.

"I'd say kick him loose," I started. "He could be lying, but don't take my word for it. This is a choice you have to make yourself."

I didn't want to get involved with such a crazy person. Oh, I'd kick his ass if he tried anything, but in the end, this really was Iruma's decision. I admit that it made me happy that I was the first thing he thought about, but that wasn't a healthy mindset.

Iruma closed his eyes and nodded.

"A-Alright, you can be my friend if that's what you want."

The strange boy's eyes shot open.

"A f-friend? Excellent!" he shouted gleefully. "I, Asmodeus Alice shall be your faithful servant from here on out!"

We hadn't even made it to school and the day was already starting on a crazy note.

"Actually, how did you even get here?" I asked hesitantly.

Asmodeus grinned from ear to ear.

"My family has many connections! It was simple enough to find out the headmaster's address and then run on over!"

Creepy…

"Wait, run?" Iruma asked. He turned and looked around the entrance to the mansion. Aside from our carriage, there was nothing else around. "As in… literally run here?"

The crazy guy nodded enthusiastically.

"For you, I'd do it all over again!"

Wasn't this what they called a stalker?

…

I'd have to keep an eye on this one.

—————————

The carriage was a bit full on the way to school, but Iruma refused to just let the stalker walk. That guy was a real chatterbox, but I'd be lying if he wasn't useful. He spoke about all sorts of things, including what the school had planned for today.

"We'll be summoning our familiars, I believe. But before that, we'll have a quick group activity."

It sounded like a bunch of unnecessary work. Anyways, after a bunch of annoying talk, we eventually arrived at the school. A number of awed gasps and hushed whispers greeted us as we walked out of the carriage and toward the school. One particular student shivered and ran away as my eyes met his.

"Hey! Morning, Lee!" a familiar voice called out. It was Shax. His eyes instantly jumped to Iruma then to Alice.

"Are the two of them going to fight again?"

I didn't get a chance to speak. Alice answered first.

"That will not be happening again," he said with a shake of his head. "I will be on Iruma's side from here on out! Let all know that anyone that dares stand in his way will have to deal with Asmodeus Alice!"

This guy was really dramatic.

Shax blinked and then blew a whistle.

"Wow. You literally beat him onto submission," he said with a chuckle. "Lee, you're brother's really cool."

For once, I didn't have anything bad to say. I chuckled and gave the strange boy a smile.

"Yeah, he is."

"Come, Iruma-sama! I'll tell you all about the intricacies of summoning a familiar!" Asmodeus prattled on as the two continued to walk. It was surprising, but they were becoming quick friends.

I wasn't sure how I felt about that.

"By the way, do you know a weird girl with green hair?"

Hmm?

"No?" I shot back with a frown. "Why?"

Shax shrugged.

"One was asking If I knew you. Anyways, forget about that. Let's go."

I blinked as he gave my back a pat and started walking after Iruma and Alice.

Yeah. Demons were definitely weird.

 

[Leekz01]

Spoiler: Optional Music

Demons and humans were completely different creatures, but the longer I saw the latter, the less that difference seemed to matter.

Dozens of students mingled with one another around us. Iruma stuck to me like gum, eyes taking in the rather large room.

"This is one of the school's many spacious classrooms, Iruma-Sama." that pretty boy, Alice explained. "I believe we'll be taught something simple like summoning here. I know you shouldn't have any problem with that!"

Iruma chuckled nervously and nodded.

"Y-Yeah..."

I didn't really care so much about all that crap. But Iruma? Iruma was actually listening to the guy.

Beside me, Shax rolled his eyes and pulled out his gaming console. I had to admit, that little portable thing did catch my eye. The only time I ever got a chance to play games like that was back when Iruma found some loose change.

It was about half an hour of fun at the arcade, but I did like it.

"What are you playing?" I asked while keeping Iruma in my sight.

"Huh? Oh! It's one of those games where you can gather villains and stuff. You can pay some money to make rolling easier."

…

What? What kind of game was that? The ones I remembered were simple fighting games or that other one where shooting monsters was a thing.

"Never heard of it?" he asked.

I shook my head and took a quick peek at his screen. There were all sorts of monsters. A few were clearly girls, but others had extra limbs and eyes. Demons, I realized.

"It's a bit of a gamble if you get something good, but that's what makes it fun," he said with a little laugh. "Honestly, sometimes it's more fun to see what I get than actually playing the missions."

I could confidently say that I did not understand what he meant by that.

"Here, I have enough for a tenner. Why don't you roll for good luck?"

"I have no idea what you're even talking about." Tenner? Rolling? It didn't look like any kind of dice game I'd ever seen.

"Eh, don't worry too much. Just tap this button here."

"…"

Alright. I reached out and gently pressed my finger against the big button. Dozens of flashing lights filled the screen. There were blue, purple, and gold lights.

When all was said and done, a bunch of different portraits were dumped on the screen.

"Oh, man! You've got some good luck!" he roared with a grin. "I'd let you roll for me more, but then that just takes the fun away, you know?"

No. I didn't know. Still, did he think I was lucky?

I guess it depended on how I looked at my life. To be honest, I would like to think I was lucky.

"I-"

The doors were flung open, shutting up just about everyone in the room. All eyes turned toward the entrance where a well-dressed man walked in.

His sharp, angled features and tall stature left quite an imposing impression. The man's violet hair was combed back into a very stiff, if somewhat stylish cut. Like just about everything else, his eyes were pointed and razor-sharp.

Though, was he wearing eyeliner? Was this one of those demon things I didn't get?

He took a good look at everyone and then scoffed. This was our teacher, I guessed. He folded his hands behind his back and slowly walked forward toward the from of the classroom.

"Naberius Kalego," he said coldly. "I'm in charge of you all for this event, so don't do anything stupid."

He pulled out a black book from seemingly thin air and quickly flipped through its pages.

"If anyone makes a joke about my face then I'll throw you out with the other trash that fails this simple task."

No fun allowed, huh? He looked like that kind of guy to me.

As he went on talking about random crap, his eyes eventually landed on Iruma.

"Don't expect that I'll go easy on any of you, especially useless brats that rely on their grandfather's position." He hissed and tried to get into Iruma's face.

Tried being the word. I held out a hand against his chest. It was less of a threat and more of a warning. I wasn't going to do anything, but if he did, then I'd make sure he regretted it.

Curiously enough, Alice also stepped up a bit. He wasn't so much worried as he was excited. What? Did he expect Iruma to knock this guy out?

…

Heh. That actually would have been great to see. Maybe I could start giving my little brother some basic lessons in punching? He was probably going to need it if we were going to stay here for a while.

Anyways, this teacher could probably kick my ass. If the teachers here were anything like Sullivan and his freaky cat butter, then I probably wouldn't stand a chance. That didn't mean I was just going to lie down, though. I'd punch him in the face, even if it was with my shattered bones.

He turned to me and scoffed.

"People that can't even get in without leeching off their family's reputation deserved to be expelled," he said and moved back toward the front of the class. "Remember this well- no amount of connections is going to save you in the middle of a fight."

He was an ass, but he did make a good point. Like the crooked cops back home, I could still punch them out so long as they didn't call for backup. All that mattered in a fight was what you as a person could bring to the table then and there.

"Now, let's start with your lesson."

He reached into that book of his and pulled out a slip of paper.

"You will all be summoning familiars today."

Hushed whispers spread through the room. A familiar? Weren't those the cute cats or crows witches had in cartoons? It didn't seem very demon-like, but maybe that was the point.

"Pay attention, because I'm only going to explain this once."

Yeah, yeah. I was getting tired of his raspy voice. Iruma was looking at him pretty intently, but he'd furrowed his brow. I knew what that mean. He was whipping up one of his weird plans.

I covered a yawn and turned my attention to something else. Maybe I could try and use my wings in some sort of flying drop kick? That sounded like something super fun and cool to try out. I really needed to practice my flying more. Also, magic was a thingl. If I was a demon, that meant I could do some of that, right?

…

Damn it. Was I going to have to ask that old bastard for help? My only other choice was Alice, but I didn't know who would be worse…

"And that's about it. Anyone that fails to summon a familiar will be expelled."

Oh. Right.

The teacher went around the room, handing out those weird slips of paper. I blinked and took it when it was my turn.

Ah shit. No, this was fine.

Shax was nowhere to be seen, so- no, wait. He was talking to some girl over there. Great.

That left only one other person.

"Hey, Alice, mind giving me a quick rundown of how we do this crap?" I asked reluctantly.

The regal demon turned away from Iruma and looked at me.

"Of course, Lee-Sama," he said with a small bow. "It's actually rather simple."

I shuddered. That… didn't feel right at all. Iruma probably wasn't saying anything to be nice, but I couldn't suffer that crap.

"I told you to just call me Lee," I grumbled. This guy was all kinds of fishy, but he was at least looking out for Iruma now. "And, actually, I have something else to ask you."

Something was bothering me since we left our new "home", but I only realized what it was just now.

He blinked and smiled.

"What is it?"

Ugh… I wasn't used to such genuine smiles. Was this guy for real? It was creepy as hell!

"You said you ran to our home, right? But, like, couldn't you just fly there?"

He blinked.

"Oh… I guess you're right," he said with a nervous smile. A blush crawled across his cheeks and he coughed. "I might have let my emotions get the better of me and… forgot."

Yep. Total basket case. Well, at least that made it less likely that he was actually dangerous. Still, Sullivan was a thing. I'd have to keep a very close eye on this guy.

"Right…"

Whatever. It was time to get this stupid summoning thing done and over with.

I wonder what Iruma's going to summon.

—————————————

Giant snakes, floating eyeballs, a big wolf. I was a bit surprised by the crazy creatures these guys pulled out of their asses. Heck, there was this one guy covered from head to toe in hair that summoned up some sort of flying bat with scissors for hands.

I couldn't make this shit up.

Was this some kind of universal prank? Sure, there were some cool-looking ones, but how was a mouse made of smoke going to help?

"You're up," Iruma whispered.

Right. I sucked in a breath and took my place in front of the class. The large, intricate glyph on the ground looked pretty cool. I had to admit that.

I held out my slip of paper and focused.

Honestly? I'd be fine with anything, but summoning nothing at all would be fine too. The less I had to take care of it, the better.

I wasn't very good with pets. The few I'd had before didn't last very long or always got into trouble because of me.

Yes. Something simple and sturdy would be best.

The paper shined a brilliant blue that reminded me of the sky back home. The light grew until it swallowed everything in sight.

And then-

"Dood…"

I stared, baffled by the creature standing in the middle of the glyph. It looked like some sort of… blue penguin? I guess most would call it "cute," but it was just plain weird. Wait, were those sticks that it had for legs? Honestly, it looked like the thing was a plushy, but that couldn't be true.

I reached out and punched the thing's cheek. That was definitely some sort of skin. Its flabby, stubby arms grabbed mine and it let out a whine.

"T-That hurts, dood!"

Ah. It could talk. Wait, it could talk? None of the other familiars I'd seen could actually talk.

Oh no. It could talk.

That meant it could talk shit.

"What are you?" I asked, glancing at our teacher for some sort of recognition. Nope. Like me, he was lost as to what this thing was.

"Wait, what is that?"

"Did it just talk?"

"Is it some sort of rare monster?"

"It has cute little wings!"

"I'm kind of jealous!"

The blue penguin tilted its head.

"Hmm. No idea, dood!" It exclaimed with a cheerful little spin. Huh. Maybe it could dance? "I'm me, dood! Not sure what I am or how I got here, but I know I'm supposed to serve you, dood!"

That wasn't suspicion. Not at all.

"Kindly move so the others can have a chance to summon their familiars," Kalego growled out. He was practically steaming as he glared at my penguin.

The monster blinked and then looked at Kalego and then back to me.

"What crawled up his ass, dood?"

I held back a laugh. Maybe this little guy wasn't so bad after all! Kalego didn't share my opinion, though. He basically ripped the book he'd been holding in half. If looks could kill then I'd have been smashed to a thick paste.

"Don't worry about it," I said with a laugh and picked the little guy up. The shit-eating grin on my face probably didn't make Kalego any happier.

It was weird, sure, but It also had a pretty good sense of humor. Hopefully, Iruma could-

"Ah…" I was so full of it that I missed a step. My new buddy slipped out of my hands and tumbled through the air, smashing into Kalego's face with a soft squeak.

And then it promptly exploded.

Shit...

This was why I couldn't have pets.

 

[Leekz01]

Spoiler: Optional Music

The world had a sick sense of humor at times. At least that was what I thought.

"You ok?" I asked, hesitantly looking at the blue penguin sitting next to my feet. Well, he wasn't really "blue," so much as a toasty brown. There were still bits of dust and smoke clinging to his sleek fur. I could even see that his stubby peg legs were still charred from the explosion.

"Am ok, dood!" he exclaimed and gave a small salute. "I guess I blow up when I'm thrown? Try not to do that again, dood!"

Yeah. That was an idea. He'd practically burned off that teacher's eyebrows with that explosion. How he didn't take off his head was beyond me. Maybe it was just a thing with demons? They were a lot more durable than normal people for sure. Thankfully most of them weren't super fast.

"Can you come back every time?" I asked, passing a wet cloth across his beak. The black grime and soot were washed away, revealing his golden beak again. Even I could tell coming back after exploding wasn't exactly a "normal" ability.

"I think so, dood!" he answered. "Just takes a while!"

So I had an immortal penguin? Or did that only happen when he blew himself up? I wasn't in much of a hurry to see if he could revive after being gutted or something.

"And I thought demons were weird," I whispered and finished cleaning the rest of him. At least I thought this thing was male.

"I've got no idea, dood," it answered. "But I think I'd like to be one. Sounds cool, you know!"

Wait… could it read my mind?

"Huh! Looks like it, dood! That's super cool!!"

I didn't think so. Could it turn that off?

"Don't be so stingy, dood! You've got all sorts of cool stuff in there!"

Yeah. No.

"I'd suggest you stop it soon before my foot gets intimately connected with your ass."

I reached out and gave his head a gentle, playful smack. There was a bit of aggression there, though. I didn't like anyone digging around in my head. Either it stopped or I'd send it back wherever it came from.

"Ok, dood... Why do you have to be such a killjoy?"

…

Right. Whatever. I had more important things to worry about now.

"What's all that noise about?" I grumbled and stood back up. Come to think of it, where was that damned teacher?

"Holy shit!"

"Did he seriously summon Kaoego-sensei!"

"How the hell does that work?!"

The teacher? What the heck were they talking about?

I walked closer and saw Iruma holding some sort of flying pigeon. No, it looked more like a fat, fluffy owl? Actually, I had no idea what it was.

The students did, though.

"That's never happened before!"

"He forced our teacher into a contract and turned him into something small and cute!"

"He's so badass!"

…

God damn it, Iruma. How did that even work?!

"Dood… that's pretty nuts, don't ya think?" my "familiar," said. "I mean, I have no idea bout this summoning stuff, but I'm sure summoning your own teacher isn't normal anywhere."

I shook my head. This whole place wasn't normal. Hopefully, this wouldn't bring more trouble down on our heads.

——————————

As it turned out, familiar contracts couldn't be canceled until a year after they'd been forged.

"You'll die!" That bastard, Sullivan said with a grin. A part of me wondered if it was just bullshit he'd made up to mess with Iruma and that crusty teacher. Frankly, none of us were willing to test it out.

Rumors quickly spread around the school about a "student who dominated a teacher into being his familiar." I'd be laughing if it wasn't so damned sad. All this did was put more and more expectations on Iruma. When the time came for him to actually show off his "strength," he'd be up shit's creek without a damned paddle. Not even shoveling the shit with his hands would work.

"A-Are you sure I have to do this?" he asked me as the two of us stood in front of Sullivan's mansion. The grass was green, prickly, and perfect for some exercise.

"Yeah, unless you want to get your face kicked in by some stupid demon," I sighed. "I'm not exactly an expert on martial arts or anything, but I can at least give you a refresher on how to throw a punch."

He'd never been too enthusiastic to learn before. I doubted he'd even remembered what little I did try to teach him back then. But to be fair, that was probably for the best. I was a pretty big dumb-ass as a kid. Nothing like I am now.

"Ok, I get that, but I don't think I can punch a boulder in half…"

What?

"Of course, you can!" I huffed. "Look, just keep punching until your fists are strong enough to start cracking the roc-"

"…"

"Ah. I see your point."

That wasn't normal. Iruma wasn't me. He'd probably break his hand before so much as chipping the rock!

"Dood… I thought that was a joke!" the damned penguin said. I snapped my head around to him. The bugger was sitting in one of those fold-up chairs people found on the beach. He had a drink in one hand and an orange in the other.

"He's a human, right? Human's break super easy!" Then there was that. He'd only read my mind for a little bit but that had been more than enough to reveal that little secret.

"It's fine," I waved off. "Even if you can't punch rocks apart it'll still be a good idea to learn how to fight."

To be honest, I wasn't expecting Iruma to win anything. As long as he could distract them for a second or two then I could try and get to him.

"I'm still going to be the one protecting you, but that'll be easier if you can use those crazy dodging skills of yours a bit better. Maybe throw in a punch or two."

He gulped and gave me a nod.

"Alright, Lee. I trust you."

Gah! It felt like a knife had just stabbed me in the heart. Maybe I could make things a little bit easier for him?

…

No. This was something more important than my feelings or Iruma's respect. He had to at least try to improve himself now. That little scuffle with his groupie showed that I couldn't be around him all the time.

"You can do it, dood!" the penguin cheered. "Go Irma! You can do it, Irma!"

"U-Umm, my name's Iruma!" Iruma shot back.

"Oh! Sorry, dood! Go, go, Iruna!"

Sometimes I wondered if we were in some sort of sitcom.

It felt like our lives were the kind of things others would laugh at.

———————————

"Good morning, Iruma-sama," Alice greeted us the next day. He was by our front gate just waiting for us to leave.

"Is this going to become a thing?" I asked him with a yawn. "You going to come to meet us every morning?"

A brilliant smile split the pretty boy's face.

"Good morning to you too, Lee-Sama," he said and took a bow. I shuddered.

"Seriously, stop calling me that. Lee's fine." That formal stuff was plain weird. Made me sick to my stomach if I was honest.

"Very well," he said with a nod and practically teleported next to Iruma.

"He's a real weirdo, dood…" the penguin whispered as he stuck to my shadow. Right. I was going to have to carry him everywhere now, wasn't I?

"Tell me about it," I said with a sigh and followed the two into our carriage. Wasn't there some sort of spell to teleport my familiar to me? I had to go check up on that. Magic was bitching.

I didn't pay too much attention to Iruma and Alice's conversation as we headed to school. The rolling hills, mountains, and cliffs were more interesting. Sometimes I'd even find two giant bird monsters fighting each other. That was always a fun treat. The life of a giant monster bird was unforgiving here. I could respect that.

"Say, have you named your familiar yet?" Alice asked, pulling my attention away from the sky.

A name? Hmm. No, I hadn't thought of that.

"Doesn't feel like I should give him one unless he asks," I answered with a shrug. "Feels a bit pompous, you know?"

The blue penguin blinked.

"Dood… I have the best boss ever!" he cheered and tackled me to the back of my seat. "Not sure why, but I feel like I seriously dodge a bullet being summed here! You're the coolest, boss!"

Son of a-

"Fine, fine! Just get off me!"

—————————

"Why not, dood!"

I sighed and rubbed the bridge of my nose.

"Cause, 'ass-kicker,' is a shitty name. Pick something less stupid, ok?"

He hummed.

"What about kickass? Kickasser?"

Seriously?

"You know what. Call yourself whatever you want, but if it's something stupid then I'm going to keep calling you, 'penguin' or 'blue.'"

His eyes snapped open.

"That's it! Penguin! I think I want to be called Prinny! Or Hans, both work!"

They didn't even have anything to do with one another!

"Hans it is," I said as fast as I could. "Now let's drop this topic and catch up with the others."

We'd spent way too long on this crap. Iruma and Alice had already disappeared into the school.

"Gotcha, dood!"

—————————

"Umm… are we lost? I think we're lost, dood!"

No.

"We're not lost," I huffed. "We're just not where we want to be."

Why did the school have to be such a damned maze?

"Maybe we can ask that girl over there, dood?" Hans said. I followed his stubby appendage toward a shade of green hair. I could swear that I'd seen her before.

"She looks like the perfect sort of girl the protagonist picks up as a sidekick, dood! And you know what that means? She probably knows the way to him!"

…

What?

Stupid bullshit aside, she was the only one here. I could jump into one of the random classes, but that would probably get me in trouble.

She was standing behind one of the buildings, fiddling with something in her pockets.

"Might as well," I said with a grumble and approached her, stopping right behind her. It was surprising that she didn't notice me. Actually, she looked like she was in a pretty sour mood. Maybe it was a bad idea to talk to her at all.

I never got the chance to change my mind. She spun around and smashed into my chest, falling on her ass a moment later.

"Oweee…" she squeaked and then looked up at me and I at her. Those wide, green eyes of here were full of surprise and a bit of panic. They were innocent and pure, not unlike Iruma's.

Either way, I was like, twice her size. Scaring her silly probably wasn't a good start to the conversation.

"Sorry," I said and backed up, raising my hands in surrender. Demons were different, but I didn't know if the girls here acted the same. They'd scream really loud back home and that had to be the most annoying sound I'd ever heard in my short life.

She blinked and then slowly stood up, wiping her face.

"No problem!" the girl exclaimed and rushed up to me. "Hey, do you need something?!"

Huh.

"Actually-"

"Cause I have a bunch of games! Like, do you want a drink? Maybe I can get you something to eat after we play? Huh? Huh?!"

…

Another weirdo.

"See, I have all this cool stuff! Like this sword that shoots magic balls, we can bounce around with these electric rackets! If that's too much, how about this rope that slaps you if you don't tell it a funny joke? It spits out treats if you make it laugh!"

The little gremlin just wouldn't shut up. She was like a boundless ball of energy and sound. I'd normally get sick of excited chipmunks like these in a second, but something about her just didn't feel right.

She was staring at me, but her eyes had this glazed-over look to them. They weren't the same, innocent sheen of green I'd seen a moment ago. Right now they were the eyes of someone hungrily seeking another's attention. They were the same eyes I had back when I barely knew Iruma.

It was just plain pitiful.

"Look, can you be quiet for a second?" I said and held a hand in front of her face. That shut her up real quick.

"I'm looking for my class, so I don't have time to play." Her bright smile froze and lost what little luster it did have. She still kept a stupid grin on her face, though.

"Oh, ok! That's fine!"

No, it wasn't. I wanted to punch myself for even thinking of giving a demon a helping hand. But what would he do? Sometimes all it took was giving someone the time of day to cheer them up.

…

"Look, I don't have time to play but you can hang out with me if you have nothing better to do. Just help me find-"

"Kay!" she snapped and grabbed by hand. "I'll take you there no problemo!"

And then she started dragging me away.

I hadn't even told her where my class was.

This was a mistake, wasn't it?

=====

A.N: Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays

 

[Leekz01]

Demons, humans. Were they really that different?

I sat, legs crossed and mind wandering to the days of yesteryear. There was a good book in one hand and a small cup of tea in the other. Was there any better way to pass the time?

"Hey! Hey! What do you think?!" An excited voice called out. I tore my eyes away from the book and found a familiar face staring at me. That smooth, bald head. That fluffy, gray mustache.

"Lord Sullivan?" What ludicrous thing had he come up with this time?

"Look! Look! It has a button you can press that sounds an alarm!"

I stared, face stiff as stone. Those were… whistles? They looked like something mothers might give to their children if they feared that they might get kidnapped.

"Do you think they'll like them?"

I sighed.

"I'm sure they'll love the gift," I said with a nod. "Iruma would happily take it, though Lee… he'd be hesitant."

"Cute Iruma's like an adorable bunny!" Sullivan admired with an enthusiastic nod. "And Lee- he's so independent and cool! I must be the luckiest grandfather to have caught them both!"

I hesitated. Was it really my right to question his choices? On one hand, there was the human boy. Why risk so much just to adopt one?

As for Lee, he was an unknown. A demon from the human world. How had he managed to survive so long? Exactly what was his heritage? Was he part of the "great banishing" you'd scarcely heard anything about? He was as much of a mystery as Iruma.

"You could have adopted any demon in our world," I said, eventually giving in to my curiosity. Maybe I'd have been able to hold it in if it was just one, but this was too much. "Why choose them?"

The goofy grin on his face vanished. The loving, affectioned "grandfather" died then and there. In his place was a cold, calculating demon. It was a rare sight and one neither of those boys had truly witnessed.

And it vanished in a second. A sincerer, tired look crossed his features. It was as real as every other side of himself he liked to show.

"Those two are special," he spoke. "I left and find young Iruma, but Lee… he was a welcomed surprise."

Oh? So he hadn't expected him? Interesting.

"But let's forget about that~" he suddenly cheered. "You have to help pick what kind of underwear they might like more!"

I shut my eyes and sucked in a breath. He hadn't been this lively in years. I guess it didn't matter whether or not he'd done the right thing.

As long as he was happy, then that was fine with me.

"Have you thought about asking them their opinion?" I said.

"Of course not!" Sullivan huffed. "That kind of beats the purpose of a surprise, you know!"

…

Well, I couldn't fault that logic.

"I think the checkered ones might suit Lee more," I pointed out. "As for Iruma… he might like the ones with the cute bunnies."

No- wait… there was potential here.

"Actually, flip those around."

My lip twitched upward.

"Lee might have a secret soft spot for cute things."

Sullivan's eyes sparked with understanding.

"That makes perfect sense! I'll have to get him a giant plushy too!"

Yes. If nothing else, then the future promised to be an amusing one.

 

[Leekz01]

Spoiler: Optional Music

The school continued to be a maze. It was just hallway after hallway and they all looked the same. How the demons could go through it without getting lost was a mystery!

…

Also, was it just me or were we getting dirty looks? No, not dirty, but pitying?

"So you have a brother?" the young demon girl walking beside me asked. "Is he as tall and cool as you!"

Tall? Cool? Maybe she wasn't so bad.

"Iruma's the coolest," I said with a nod. "He can look a bit meek and wimpy, but there's no one more dependable than him."

"Does he like games?" the girl asked. "Think he'd like to play tick tack boom?"

…

Were all demons this weird? Alice went from an ass to a massive suck-up. Our familiar summoning instructor was moonlighting as Iruma's pet owl. And, of course, the old geezer who brought both of us here was the devil but also acted like a child.

Yeah, that checked out.

"I'm sure he'd be happy to play whatever, Clair."

Her eyes went wide for a moment and she smiled.

"It's Clara! Valac Clara!"

Right…

"Sorry," I said with a sigh. "Kinda bad with those."

Hmm.

"Mind If I call you Val or something?"

"Wha- Clara isn't a long na-" she bit her tongue. "I-I mean, sure!"

Huh.

"You sure?" I asked. "I mean, I like to give people nicknames, but you seemed pretty upset a moment ago."

"I'm perfectly fine!" she said with a cheerful grin. "Hey, hey! We're almost there, come on!"

Girls were so strange and demon girls were probably even more so.

Whatever. If she was fine with Val, then Val it would be.

"Dood… you're so clueless, boss!"

My brow twitched and I reached down, lifting the damned penguin.

"What exactly am I clueless about?"

The little guy started sweating buckets. He fidgeted and refused to look me in the eye.

"I don't know, dood! Try and figure these things out on your own, dood!"

…

Worthless.

"Don't look at me like that, dood! I'm just living my life as best I can, dood!"

Ugh…

"Is something wrong?" the green-haired girl called out. She rushed back to my side like some sort of road runner. There was even a small cloud behind her. "Are you nervous about classes? Don't worry, we have to pick out our student supplies first!"

…

The what?

Shit, was that a thing I was supposed to do? I thought we were headed for classes before I accidentally split from Iruma.

"Come on!"

Without warning, she grabbed my hand and started dragging me away.

Girls were too clingy…

——————

"And here's a snack! Do you want a drink with it too?"

I was wrong. Val was so much weirder than I could have possibly imagined.

"What about some nice finger warmers? So long as I've seen it before, I can bring it out!"

I stopped in my tracks. Wait, what?

"What do you mean you can pull it out?"

She blinked and then stopped. That cheery smile of hers froze.

"Dood… should you be asking stuff like that?"

I stretched out the damned penguin cheeks a bit. It was oddly therapeutic!

"U-Umm… I-I can pull things out I've seen before?" she said again. "Like, not people, but things!"

And then she pulled out a flail from her pockets.

What.

"Are you serious?"

The frozen smile on her face didn't change. It was honestly starting to get on my nerves. If she wanted to say something, then just say it.

"Yes!" she exclaimed. "It's my bloodline's special skill!"

What.

"Ok…"

This girl was terrifying.

"What are the limits on it? Could you pull out magic weapons or something?"

"Oh, umm… sometimes? Maybe when I'm older? But normal stuff I can do as long as I have the energy for it!"

I had to say it again. This girl was absolutely terrifying.

"There are no suitcase nukes here, right?" I had to know. Even someone as uneducated as me knew about those from back home. The stuff coming out of her pockets was too big to fit inside, so who was to say she couldn't pull out a big enough bomb to level the entire school?

If this world had something like a nuke, then I didn't think I could sleep at night- not when there was a teenage demon girl who could just pull one out of her damned pockets!!

"What's that?!" she asked me, eyes dazzling with genuine excitement. "Is it some sort of game?! Or maybe a cool suitcase that shoots arrows?!"

I let out a relieved breath. Good. Maybe this world wasn't as crazy as I thought.

"Dood, something like that would totally break the power scaling!" my little penguin, Hans, said. "You can't give her that until after a long training arc, dood!"

What the hell was he talking about?

"Oh! Your little friend is cute too!" Val said as she pinched his cheeks. "Adorable!"

And then she promptly picked him up.

"Dood! Help! She's trying to kill me, dood!"

"He's so warm too!" she said, squeezing the life out of Hans. For a moment, I swore his eyes bulged out like some cartoon. "This is your familiar, right? I can't believe he can talk!"

"D-Dood! H-Help!"

I sighed and quickly snatched him out of her grip. He could be a bit annoying, but he was my responsibility. Besides, he wasn't that bad.

"Yes," I said with a nod. "Careful handling him. He likes to explode if you throw him."

There. That should at least make her reluctant to-

"Really?!" she asked with a gasp. "Like a kind of explodo doll? I have one of those too!"

When she reached into her pockets, I held out a hand and stopped her.

"You-"

"Lee!" a voice cut through the hallway "There you are!"

Iruma.

"I was looking for you!" he said with a smile. "You really should try and not get lost!"

Seriously? That was my line! Whatever. At least he had Alice looking after him...

"L-Lee-Sama!" the prideful demon gasped. "Don't tell me you've been hanging out with her."

Her?

"Hello!" Val greeted them both with that cheerful grin of hers. "Are you Lee's brother? You're taller than I thought, but still look just as cool!"

"Iruma's the smaller one," I pointed out. "And yeah, Alice. She helped me out."

"We're playmates!" Val added. "Do you want to play too?!"

Alice winced.

"I was afraid of that…" he grumbled and then let out a sigh. "Lee, she's-"

Before he'd even finished his explanation, Val had dragged the lot of us out to one of the courtyards. From what Alice told me, she was a bit of an undesirable. That was to say- she was bothersome to most other students.

She was weird even amongst the weirdo's here. It was kind of sad, but also not so far from home.

"We must break off all contact with her and distance ourselves before she pulls us into some weirdness, Lee-sama."

…

"Nah," I said with a shake of my head. "She's crazy, yeah, but she did help me out. Feels like a dick move to ditch her."

I glanced her way as she and Iruma were playing some weird chess-like game.

"Besides, Iruma seems to be having fun."

Alice sighed.

"I hope you don't grow to regret that decision, Lee-sama…"

I wouldn't.

Two hours later, I definitely was.

How could one girl have so much energy?!

—————————

"Classes? But those don't start till like, the day after tomorrow!"

…

What?

"W-What?" Iruma asked nervously. "B-But I thought that was today!"

Val shook her head.

"We get to pick up our stuff today! Class assignment and our rank won't be decided for a bit!"

So we'd just wasted our time coming here?

"Oh yeah, I think that was it," Iruma said with a nod. "I-I guess I just got so worked up with Lee wanting to start his classes that I forgot…"

"I did not!" I huffed out. "I just wanted to get this over with already!"

It's what I get for not paying attention. Really, why did-

"Oh Clarin~" A smooth, haughty voice called out. "Found yourself new owners, have you~"

I flinched. Owner? Who the hell calls anyone that?

My eyes moved toward the voice and I spotted three students. They looked demonic enough, but nothing compared to the big jackass who tried to interrupt my shit.

Ugh…

"Yup, yup!" Val called out as she hurried over to the boys. "I've been playing with them for hours already!"

So they were her friends? I guess It wasn't that bad then. I'd heard close friends usually called themselves names or whatever. Still, owner? That words pissed me off. If anyone called me that, I'd knock their teeth out and make them eat each one with chopsticks and a side of hot sauce.

The boy and his two friends glanced over to us. There was recognition in their eyes.

"Wait, aren't those the honor students?"

"How the hell did this wast-"

Their leader cut the other boys off.

"That's nice," he said with a smile and held out a hand. Val looked at it curiously and then he made a "come here" motion. "Juice."

Juice?

"Oh! Right!" Val said with that stupid, annoying grin of hers. "Here you go!"

She pulled a juice out of her pockets and handed it over.

"Later," the boy said after picking up a few more bottles for his friends.

And that just left us and Val again.

"He didn't even say thank you…" Iruma whispered. "It wasn't very nice."

Smiling stiffly, Val chuckled childishly.

"It's fine! As long as I give them some stuff, they'll play with me!"

Ah. So that was it.

What a sad girl. I felt sorry for her and somewhat annoyed at the demons.

…

Whatever. It wasn't my problem who she made friends with.

---

Things slowed down a bit and we were all to split up.

"W-Will you all play with me again?" Val sprung the question as we left the courtyard.

What a stupid question.

"S-Sure!" Iruma answered before I could. "I can't say it was normal, but It was also kind of fun!"

She smiled. This time there was no sign of that rough edge to it. She actually looked adorable smiling like that.

I nodded.

"You're one weird demon, but I'd rather be on your good side than not."

Seriously. Her bloodline ability was… pretty nuts. If I was going to be living in this place for a while, then it was a good idea to make allies with people like her.

"Yay!" Val cheered as she pulled out some sort of rope from her pouch. No, wait, was that a-

"I'm a snake rope," the sentient object declared as it pulled all of us toward her. "Snake rope."

"Thank you!"

Was this the fabled "group hug?"

…

I hated it.

———————

The days felt a bit longer down here in the demon world. Maybe it was just me, but going to school every day when we didn't need to felt pretty annoying.

"I-I want to see more of the school, Lee. Alice said there were some places we should get used to, after all."

I sighed.

Seeing Iruma take the initiative was a new experience. I couldn't say no to my little brother when he was like that.

"Also, I think Clara wanted to play some more," he said with a sweet smile.

Oh?

"Does someone have a crush?" I asked, laughing at the idea.

"What? No?" he said in a straight face. "Honestly, she kind of reminds me a little bit of you."

…

Huh? What? How? The two of us were nothing alike!

He giggled.

"Your face looks like a sour plumb, you know!"

My brow twitched. Really? Ugh…

"Whatever," I said with a huff. "So what's the plan?"

Alice cleared his throat.

"I suggest we head for the dining room, have a nice meal, and check our class assignment later today."

He proceeded to pull out some paper from his nice, white suit.

"I've scheduled most of the day, so as long as we follow the itinerary, we should be out by-"

"…"

"Iruma-Sama, where's Lee-sama?"i

"Huh? He's righ-"

"…"

"W-Where did he go?! He was right next to us!"

—————

Ah, shit. I take my eyes off them for one moment and they're gone.

Seriously, Iruma? You really have to work on not getting lost!

"Now… where the hell am I?"

 

[Leekz01]

Spoiler: Optional Music

Another day, another chance for Iruma to make me lose my mind. That boy was like my own flesh and blood, but sometimes he could really get under my skin.

"Iruma, you're so bad with directions…" I sighed and glanced around. "Now, where the hell am I?"

Obviously, I was still in the school. It was a courtyard. Did I somehow find myself back to the one from yesterday? Hmm, no. This one looked different.

"Son of a…"

I brought a hand to my face and sighed.

"Hans?" All it took was a whisper and the blue penguin seemed to appear out of thin air.

"What's up, boss-man, dood?!" he shouted, bringing a hand to his forehead. Was… was he saluting me?

"Mind figuring out how to get back to the front of the school?" In situations like this, I'd always told Iruma to head to the entrance of the building and wait. I would end up finding him sooner or later.

Thankfully, Alice was with him.

We had our differences, but he was dependable enough. Still, I'd have preferred not to leave Iruma alone with a Demon.

"Humans will undoubtedly be ripped apart by the denizens of the underworld."

That old geezer's words still rung deep within my mind. Like hell I'd let anyone touch him.

"Dood? Do you hear me, dood? Are you having another internal monologue, dood? You need to stop with those, dood!"

"You're being obnoxiously loud," I said with a sigh. "What was that you were saying?"

"Finally, dood! Been calling you for a while, dood!"

He swung around and pointed his flipper off into the distance.

"I don't know how to get back, dood, but maybe they know?"

I traced the path he was pointing to and found a trio of Demons chatting amongst themselves. It was right at the edge of the courtyard.

"I guess beggars can't be choosers," I said with a sigh and started walking.

"Ain't that the truth, dood…" Hans said and then crawled toward my pants. "I'm going to take a nap, alright, dood?"

I gave him a nod and watched as he spread one of my pockets open and crawled into it. The scene left a shiver running down my spine. It was unnatural.

"Shit reminds me of a snake crawling down a drain…" I said with a shudder.

Everything in this place was terrifying.

———————

"And so I told him- get your own meal or I'll knock your block off!"

"Hahaha!"

"Not funny. Your jokes are shit."

Three idiots talking shit. Sounded about right. Even the Demon Realm couldn't avoid that stupid stereotype.

"Hey," I called out, grabbing their attention.

"Huh?"

"Oh! Aren't you that honor student?"

"Yeah, good to see you again, bud."

Did they know me?

I raised a brow and stared at them.

"Remember? We met yesterday!"

Let's see. There was a regular-looking one, a lizard-looking demon, and one that looked like the "traditional" depiction of a demon. Fairly generic in my opinion.

"I have no idea who you are."

Still, I did remember running into some people yesterday. That must have been them.

The apparent leader flinched.

"T-That's fine," he said with a laugh and scurried closer. "I see that you don't have that trashy gremlin following you around?"

Gremlin?

"You sure like to hear yourself talk," I said with a sigh. "Got no idea what the hell you're talking about, so mind giving me directions to the front of the school?"

His brow twitched.

"You know. That green-haired dispenser? I know you were only hanging around with her cause of her powers, but there's no need to pretend."

This guy…

"No one would ever give her the time of day, so she has to go around bribing everyone with those powers of hers," he continued with a large grin on his face. "It's pathetic, you know?"

I took a breath and sighed.

"Are you an idiot?" I asked. "When the hell did I ask about her?"

"H-Huh?" he took a step back.

"I asked for directions and you go off on this stupid tangent about someone who isn't even here."

I shook my head.

"Keep your opinions to yourself, man. I don't know who you are and I could care less about what you think."

Personally, Val was fine in my books. She was damned weird but didn't seem like a bad person.

"And unless you have some crazy power like her, I'd steer clear for your sake."

His face turned as red as a tomato. It was hilarious.

"Who the hell do you think you are?" he hissed, even as his cronies tried to surround me. "She's a stupid girl who can pull juice out of her pockets. How the hell is she ever going to hurt me? Are you alright in the head, buddy?"

"I ain't your buddy," I said. "And if that's what you think, then you're even more blind than I thought."

I shook my head.

Idiots.

"You talk a lot of shit for-"

I reached out and shoved two fingers into his open mouth and then pulled down. Hard. He hit the floor a moment later.

"Look, If you ain't going to help, then I've got no business with you."

They'd just been a massive waste of time.

"Don't follow me or you'll kick your asses."

I said and started walking.

Surprisingly, they didn't follow me.

Yeah. That's what I thought.

——————————

The school had to be magic or something. I'd gone past the same hallway at least three times, so that was the only possible answer to that weirdness.

I rubbed my brow and took another right, this time finding myself walking into yet another courtyard. This one was different from the last and I quickly spotted a few familiar faces.

"What the hell do you mean no?!" a certain demon and his friends were cornering Val. Did my tongue-lashing get their panties in a bunch?

They just didn't know when to stop, did they? Either way, Val probably knew the way back. Besides, we were looking for her.

"You… I-I heard everything you said," she whispered. "I knew you didn't like me that much, but I thought…"

"Thought what?" the idiot boy scoffed. "Just give me my damned juice! Or do you want me to stop talking to you?"

He laughed and his friend soon joined in on that.

"Then you'll really be alone," he said quietly. "You're just a weirdo and everyone knows it. We're the only ones who'll give you the time of day, so why don't you face reality?"

Val lowered her gaze.

"So, again. Give. Me. Juice."

I slowly made my way to the trio. Val… she was shaking. Her hands were balled into fists. It was as if I were looking at a volcano about to pop.

For a brief moment, her small form was replaced by a similar figure. A young boy smiled blindly to the world, holding back all the foul thoughts and doubts in his heart.

I sighed.

God damn it.

"I…" Val's voice broke. She let out a quiet whimper and started to slowly reach into her pocket. What she would pull out was something only she knew, but-

My hand landed on her shoulder. She didn't bother looking up and I didn't give her the time to.

"Punch him in the face," I said plainly. "You'll feel a lot better afterward."

She took a sharp breath.

"Ah…"

And then she sent that curled fist flying straight into that idiot demon's face.

"Gah!" he shouted, clutching his nose as he fell on his ass. "Y-You punched me?! You bitch!"

He was back on his feet a moment later.

"I-I've had enough! This is w-what I get for trying to be nice! Let's teach this bitch and her damned sympathizer a lesson!"

Ha! It was about damned time.

"Should have just fucking given me my damned directions," I said and launched myself forward, darting past the leader and straight to one of his friends. My open palm crashed into the boy's face, sending him flying.

Val looked on in shock and uncertainty. She stared down at her hand and then the bloody nose she'd caused.

Still hesitating?

"Well, do you feel better or not?" I ducked as one of the goons tried to kick me in the face. These guys were faster than any human, but still so damned sloppy.

A devilish grin spread across Val's face. She chuckled and then reached into her pocket.

"Yeah…"

In the next instant, she charged forward toward her bully. There was a flash and she'd pulled out an entire damned fridge.

"What the fuc-"

And then promptly smashed the thing onto him. She didn't stop there, though. Next up was a vending machine, which she threw hard enough to send my opponent crashing straight into a wall.

He'd only just gotten up too.

"Hehehe, this is kind of fun!" Val exclaimed as she looked around for the last guy. He'd wisely turned tail and started running.

"Hey! Where are you going?!"

It looked like he was the only smart one out of the group. He kept running and didn't look back.

Great. Maybe I could finally get some god damned directions.

"Lee! There you are!"

…

Are you serious? Are you fucking serious?! I was just about to leave this damned place!

Iruma stopped in his tracks, eyes going wide as he looked around.

"Did you get in another fight?"

"Likely something these ruffians deserved," Alice said with a huff.

Val looked away, a sheepish and guilty look on her face.

That girl was far too bubbly for her own good. There wasn't anything to be ashamed about.

"Yeah, but they had it coming," I said with a shrug. "Also, I found us Val. We were looking for her, right?"

"Oh! That's why you vanished?" Iruma asked with a smile. "I thought you got lost again."

My brow twitched.

"You were… looking for me?" Val asked timidly as she looked up at the lot of us. "W-Why?"

"What do you mean?" Iruma asked, furrowing his brow. "We said we'd play with you today, remember?"

I nodded.

"B-But it…" tears started to build in the corner of her eyes. "But I-I don't… wh-why do you want to play with me?"

Like a dam about to burst, it was clear she was only holding on by a thread.

"I-I'm not good f-for anything but my snacks and toys and-"

"I don't care," Iruma cut her off. "Lee doesn't either, right?"

Val's eyes darted from him to me.

I shrugged.

"Your powers are pretty scary, but If you're worried I'm like them-" I pointed my thumb at the unconscious idiots. "Then I'll let it be known that I don't need your weird crap."

Iruma nodded.

"Honestly, you're a bit energetic at times," he said with a sheepish smile. "And you also go overboard, but it's fun playing with you."

"Eh… r-really?"

He smiled and nodded.

"Right, Lee?"

Why was he putting me on the spot?

Val turned her gaze back to me. It was as if I were looking down at a cute puppy with big, sparkling eyes.

"Like I said, you're weird, but everyone in this damned world is weird," I said with a nod. "Your games are also crazy, but I can tell you're a genuinely friendly person."

She was also pretty vicious.

"And you've got some nice moves too," I said, flashing her a small grin and motioning to the idiots. "I think we'll get along just fine if you still want to be-"

"Friends?!" she cut me off.

Ugh. She really was like a damned dog!

"Sure," I said with a shrug.

"Yeah, friends!" Iruma beamed.

And then she started crying. This girl was a damned fountain! Without hesitation, she pulled us all into one big hug and wailed for the next few minutes.

Those lungs of hers might as well have been deadly weapons too.

At the very least, she was on our side.

 

[Leekz01]

Spoiler: Optional Music

======================
Pov: Clara - The Enduring Cactus
======================​

I… I never really had actual friends. Maybe something was just wrong with me, but I was just no good at talking.

"It's ok sweety. Just be yourself and I'm sure you'll make lots of friends!"

Mom always told me that. All I had to do was be myself, right?

"Can you stop being so damned energetic? It's annoying!"

"Umm… s-sorry, but I don't want to play with you. You're kind of weird!"

"Mom said I can't play with you, sorry. But you did break my arm with your toys!"

"I don't want to be positive! Can you just leave me alone?!"

I tried. I tried, tried, and tried! People didn't want me to be myself! They wanted me to be just like everyone else!

"Then they're not true friends, honey. I know you'll find friends. Keep trying, ok?"

And I did, but nothing changed. I love mom, I really did, but her advice was horrible! Still… I couldn't tell her.

"Don't worry, mom. I'll just keep trying!"

I didn't want to worry her or my siblings. Maybe If I pretended to be happy, then I'd actually be happy? At least that's what I thought.

Before long, most of my childhood had passed me by. I didn't make friends that lasted more than a few days or weeks. I didn't find anyone that saw me for who I really was. All I did was make myself look like a weirdo.

"Huh? Sure, I'll be your friend."

Until I met him, that was.

"R-Really?"

I asked, voice practically dripping with desperation.

"Sure! You seem kind of lonely. Though, I'm a bit thirsty. Mind getting me a bit of juice first? We can hang out after."

A smile cut across my face. Finally!

"Sure!" I said enthusiastically. "What do you want to play first? I have finger guillotine or-"

"None of that stuff."

He never liked my games.

"Let's go for a walk instead. I have a few more friends you can meet."

Looking back on it, we only ever played once. From then on, he'd always ask me for things. The times we did hang out, none of them would pay me any mind. I was like a fly on a wall that they had to tolerate.

Still… they were my friends, right? They were people willing to tolerate me, at least! It was probably the best I could ever hope to get, so why ruin it?

"Hey, Clara. Mind getting me some Juice?"

"Clara, got some juice?"

"Oh, Clarin, got some juice?"

It was my first nickname. Just hearing it made me think it was all worth it.

"Juice, Clarin~"

But that lost its luster soon enough. It wasn't the kind of nickname friends gave each other.

…

No. It was the name of a pet.

Still, it was all I had. I… I didn't want to be alone again.

————————-

It didn't take all that long for just about everyone in school to hear about my "reputation."

Maybe I should just… stop? If I stopped, would people finally like me?

…

No. Mom would know. Mom would stop smiling. It would be my fault.

Endure. Smile. Laugh. That was me. That was Val-

I spun around, ready to run and work out these pesky thoughts. But then I smashed into a brick wall.

"Oweee!"

What the heck? Oh… he was tall. Really tall.

And most of all, he was lost! He needed help, but he wasn't looking at me with the same eyes everyone else was!

I smiled, and try as I might to contain myself, I still went and blabbed all about my games. He listened for a bit before getting annoyed.

"Sure, whatever. Look, I don't have time to play but you can hang out with me if you have nothing better to do. Just help me find-"

My heart practically jumped into my throat. I knew he was just saying to shut me up, but still! This was my chance! Maybe If I could convince him that I was worth having around, then others could see it too!

Looking back on it, I was more trying to convince myself.

—————

His name was Lee and he had an adorable and cool brother. To be honest, they were both pretty good people, at least in my opinion.

"Why would you ever find a game in which you try to avoid a flame spitting snake fun?"

Their other friend, Asmodeus Alice, was a bit too uptight, though. But that was fine! No matter how "annoying" I was, he didn't leave. Neither Iruma or Lee left!

"S-Sure, we can play tomorrow," Iruma said with a smile as he glanced toward his older brother. "Right,Lee?"

For a moment, it felt like my heart was about to burst.

"Sure," the older boy said with a shrug. "Anyways, let's get out of here."

I nearly cried. Did I finally find friends? People who could put up with me?

I couldn't wait for tomorrow to come!

——————

They call them "dreams" because people can never achieve them. I was blind not to see it. They'd been right about me- about everything. The only reason anyone ever hung out with me was so they could use my power.

All it took was hearing the ones I'd called "friends" for so long admit it.

"She's pest. Useless without her powers."

He was right.

Even Lee looked at my power more than me! The way he stared wasn't like anyone else, but still!

I was sick of it! I was sick of everything and everyone!

What was wrong with being a little different? So what If I wasn't like everyone else?!

What was I supposed to do?!

----------

"Give. Me. Juice."

Ah… those words again. I just… I didn't want to give him anything. I wanted to slap that look right off his face! But… but If I did that, then I'd really be completely lost. Wouldn't I?

It felt like the world was closing in around me.

What do I do?

What do I do?!

"Punch him in the face." A slightly annoyed voice whispered into my ear.

I shivered. Punch? Punch him?

"You'll feel a lot better afterward."

My fist moved before I could finish the thought. The soft, fleshy nose it struck crumbled like wet cardboard.

Oh.

Why? Why hadn't I done that sooner?

All the stress, anger, and frustration I'd been building up seemed to just rush out of me.

I was surprised at the giggle that left my lip. Was it always this easy? Was this what I had to do to feel better about myself?

It didn't feel right, but… Lee wasn't wrong.

"Yeah…"

I smiled. For the first time in a long while, a relieved smile graced my lip.

Maybe I'd feel worse tomorrow. Maybe I'd realize how lonely I was, but at this moment, I was happy.

And that was more than enough for me.

—————
Lee POV
—————​

"You know, I should have guessed that demons discriminated against one another too," I said with a sigh, looking down at the "food," we'd been served. "Didn't expect it to be based on some imaginary rankings and stuff."

Alice cleared his throat and nodded.

"It's a system that's been integral to the school since it's founding," he said with a classy smile. "As much as I'd love to change it for you and Iruma-sama, such things would require power and political might that none of us posses."

I furrowed my brow and shrugged. Eh, whatever. The food looked like a melted pile of fish, garlic, paste and mush, but it was still not the worst.

Iruma was already digging in an on his second plate. For such a small kid, he could eat someone out of house and home! Hell, I'd still never managed to beat that demonic stomach of his.

"Let's finish up and leave before we run into anymore trouble," I said with a sigh.

Sitting to my right was Val. Compared to the energizer bunny she'd been the last two days, the girl looked dazed. She was quiet, meek, and always kept throwing glances mine and Iruma's way.

Did she want to say something? Well, I wasn't going to be the one to start that conversation. If she wanted to say it, then she could do so herself!

"You two…" Alice cringed as he watches us eat the food.

Almost as if to prove me right, a very familiar teacher walked into the dinning room. What the hell was his name again? I'd already forgotten.

Narveerius? Norbverius? Nooberius?

…

Hoot. I think Hoot was probably the best I was going to get with him. It fit pretty well in my opinion!

The teacher stopped in his tracks and took a good look at me, Iruma and Alice. I don't think I'd ever seen someone visibly express their disgust and frustration that obviously before.

When Val took a bit of food from my plate, his brow twitched. He didn't utter a single word and then walked away.

Huh. He was smarter than I gave him credit for.

"So, finish food and then find our class?" I asked.

"Yeah," Iruma said with a nod.

Easy.

————

"Think this is a big joke or something?" I asked, staring up at the big, ancient doors. "This place looks like a tomb or something, not a damned class."

"I-It is a bit scary," Iruma whispered, glancing a the small note we'd been given. "B-But this is the place! The abnormal class, a-at least that's what Su- grandfather said…"

Ugh… was he really still calling him that? The old goat wasn't here.

"While I am worried, I do believe your grandfather wouldn't intentionally lead you astray," Alice said with a smile. "Please, let's go in and-"

"S-Surprise!" Val said as she rushed forward and tried to push Iruma. I doubted it was anything malicious, but something like that wasn't going to fly when I was right there.

"Bad surprise," I said, gently snatching her hand out of the air. I gave it a firm squeeze to show her that it wasn't ok to do that to Iruma. "Don't-"

I'd expected many things, but not what she did next. Val let out a squeal that reminded me of what a dying cat sounded like. Her cheeks turned scarlet and then she pushed both me and Iruma forward.

"H-Hyah!"

It was so sudden that I couldn't stop it. Heck, I wasn't sure if I could.

How strong was this girl?!

Suffice it to say, I smashed into the door with the back of my head. Iruma went flying over me.

The sound of blades cutting through the air had me on my feet in a second. When I spun around, half a dozen weapons were sunken into the floor and walls. A spear here, an axe there. Hell, there were even a few katanas and a damned iron ball!

Iruma, of course, dodged them all. If I was some sort of demon, then clearly he had been blessed by an angel.

"W-Wow!"

"Amazing!"

"Damn it! I lost the bet!"

Out from the shadow burst a number of unfamiliar faces. Amongst them was one I did recognize.

That blond hairstyle with the black, squiggly line and small, black horns could only belong to one person.

Shax Lied. That was his name, right?

"Good to see you again," he greeted me with a smile. "Gotta say, wasn't expecting to you or your brother to wind up here."

I nodded and then took a good look at the weapons. Those were real. Who the hell set up that trap?

"Eh, everyone had to get through that," Shax said with a shrug. "Though, don't think anyone expected him to dodge every single one."

He pointed a thumb behind himself.

"There's another guy. He walked right through the things!" he said with a laugh. "He's crazy, I tell you what."

"Of course I would not dodge!" Speak of the devil and he shall appear. "The demon king is no coward, so he faces all challenges head on!"

I raised a brow as another student walked forward.

Who the hell was this guy? I had to turn my head up just to meet his eyes. He was at least as tall as Iruma and I combined. His muscles were like… like something out of a comic book! Also, he had a bunch of swords and spears sticking out of him.

But he wasn't bleeding.

What the hell?

"Remember my name!" he shouted. "I am Sabnock Subolo and I'm the only one suitable to be the demon king!"

Oh. I understand.

"You're just an idiot."

I could see a vain nearly pop in his forehead.

"You two might be an honor students, but there's a big difference between you and I." He said, flexing his muscles. The many weapons stuck into his body cracked and then exploded. The bits left over fell out of his flesh as if they were made of crackers. "And that is passion! You will never achieve anything worth while with those dead eyes of yours."

He huffed and then spun around.

"Against such pathetic wills, all I have to do is crush you and prove myself as the strongest."

…

Wow. That's why this place was called the abnormal class huh?

Everyone inside was a complete nutter.

 

[Leekz01]

Spoiler: Optional Music

"It all just sounds needlessly complicated," I said, crossing my arms and shaking my head. "Still don't like these ranks."

Iruma gently tugged on my arm, giving me a, "Please don't start anything" look. Really? Did he think I was going to get into a fight because of this?

"How else are ya going to figure out who's the best?" Shax asked as he picked some wax out of his ears. "It's there for a reason, buddy."

I sighed.

"Whatever," I said, shrugging at the idea. Maybe I was the only one that didn't like stupid titles like that.

"Well, what would you pick?" Val asked with a friendly smile.

Ugh…

"I don't know? Like, just use grades like normal people?"

That's what Iruma told me schools measured people by.

"Isn't that the same thing?" Shax pointed out. "You're not the sharpest tool in the shed, are you?"

My brow twitched.

"Sounds like you want to get a bit of a beating," I huffed. "Don't call me stupid."

Our little commotion continued on for a bit longer. While Iruma, Alice, Val and Shax were chatting, I scanned the classroom. No student looked alike.

There was one guy who had the head of a lion, some guy with a very pointed head, a guy that looked like a damned owl, another fur-covered guy, some nerdy girl, another guy, and a few more.

I gave up trying to organize them in my head and just focused on the more dangerous ones.

There was Sabneck, who seemed to be a big brute. Besides him, the tall, blond, and "elegant" girl. Her name was Elizabeth or something. Elizabutt? Elizabetha?

She looked really pretty and tall. If there was ever a "succubus," then she fit the bill. I'd heard of them before, and if she was one of them, then she might be the strongest person in the class. Fighting against someone who could break bones with a punch was easy. Just don't get hit.

Fighting against someone that could mess with your mind was a lot harder.

"Hmm? Is something the matter?" the girl must have seen me glancing in her direction. "You've been staring at me for some time, so I was curious."

Ugh. Her voice was calm, smooth as silk, and mature.

She certainly had the pointiest of horns out of everyone in the class. To be honest, was she even supposed to be here? She looked more like an adult than a girl our age.

"You're very horny," I said, pointing at her horns. "I was just surprised they were so shiny, was all."

Her eyes went wide and a small blush crawled across her cheeks.

"Lee!" Iruma hissed. "That doesn't mean what you think it does!"

He rushed in front of me and started bowing repeatedly. He apologized at least four times before the girl giggled sheepishly. She smiled warmly and then accepted the apology.

"It's fine," she said. "I do put a lot of effort into polishing them every day. I'm happy someone noticed."

With that, she gave a small nod and then sat down.

Beside me, Clara was frowning and poking her own horns.

Of course, it didn't take long for me to figure out what I'd said. Yeah, it was dumb, but everyone made mistakes.

"Sorry about that."

The important part was owning up to my mistakes.

"It's alright," Eli said with a friendly smile. "Everyone makes mistakes, and I was happy having someone notice all the work I put into them."

Demons were something else.

——

"You're all surprisingly quiet," a familiar voice tore through the small room as someone slammed the doors open. "I guess that's something impressive."

A demon dressed in all black stepped through. His sharp gaze and peculiar hairstyle made it obvious as to who he was.

"K-Kalego sensei?" Iruma called out as he stood up and approached him, eyes wide. "W-Wait, are you our homeroom teacher?"

Kalego huffed and nodded.

"Unfortunately, ye-"

Running past Iruma, Val started circling our teacher. She was like a shark smelling blood.

"Hey, hey!"

"Amazing!"

"You're our homeroom teacher?"

"Coo!"

"I like your hair!"

God. I was feeling secondhand embarrassment just looking at her. I honestly could care less for what that guy thought, but this made me feel mad.

"S-Shut the hell up!" he roared. "It's a setup! A… set up…"

The anger had faded away in a second. He looked like a damned deflated balloon. Still, he was quick to pump some air back into himself.

"But forget that!" he shouted. "Just get your asses in gear and follow me!"

It was as if the air itself was trembling around him.

"Don't lag behind or I'll make today the worst day of your lives!"

For some reason, I couldn't help but feel sorry for the guy.

———————

I hated long-winded speeches. It was something I had no idea I didn't like until just around now. The damned bird-teacher's words all blended together after some point.

Blah, blah, it was a race. Blah-blah, get to the other end of the valley where there's a flag.

I glanced over the edge of the cliff. That was one big drop.

"Stay away from the area where the monster birds are guarding their nests."

…

Say what?

"Monster birds?" I called out. "Like, regular birds, but monsters?"

Kalego stared at me as if I had brain damage. I really wanted to go up and punch him for that, but I wasn't stupid. As much of a fool as he acted and looked, he was a teacher. Considering this whole world's deal was ranks and power, that meant he was probably pretty tough.

"No, they're very nice, fluffy, and love hugs," he said with a deadpan expression.

"R-Really?" Iruma asked, eyes shining brightly with a hint of hope.

Poor, poor innocent Iruma.

"Of course not!" Kalego shouted. "They'll peel the flesh from your bones and eat you alive! So if you don't want to die, follow my damned instructions!"

Man, that guy had a voice on him.

"Now, open your ears and listen to the rest of what I-"

Huh. This was pretty high up. I guess we'd have to fly, but then that came with its own problems. Iruma couldn't fly and I'd been slacking off on my practice.

Ugh. This was going to be a real pain, especially if we wanted to keep up the image of him being strong. It was probably one of the few things keeping idiots from picking on him.

Iruma was my brother, but I'd be damned if he wasn't adorable and bully-bait.

There had to be a way to make it through this without anyone noticing…

"Why not cross the-"

Sabnork started an argument with the teacher about crossing some sort of valley on the way to the flag. Apparently, it was off-limits?

Hmm. If we went through an area the others stayed away from, then that would mean less chances for Iruma to be found out! Well, Sabnock seemed ready to go through there, but we could just avoid him.

It was the perfect plan!

"Everyone, get ready. It's time to start the test," Kalego explained. "Remember, you will be assigned a rank only after you complete this. Die and I'll dock points."

What. Could… could demons revive themselves or something?

"Go."

With that single word, just about everyone sprouted wings from their back. Everyone but Iruma.

If I could give him mine, I would.

"You too," Kalego said as he kicked Iruma in the back, sending him plummeting off the cliff.

"Eh?"

What?

Huh?

No way, right?

"Don't make me kick you-"

I ran past him, diving off the cliff.

Iruma!!

…

"Huh… guess he was really eager?"

———————

My brother was many things, but luck was probably the most obvious. If he were a Demon, I'd have guessed his weird powers were based on luck.

"Leeeee!" he hiccuped and called my name. "Leeeee!"

I didn't know how to feel. Seriously? He falls off a cliff and then I spend a good ten minutes looking for him, only to find him riding on the back of some damned bird monster. The thing was at least the size of a small house!

"Whatever," I said with a sigh, carefully flapping my wings so as to land on the bird's back. "This shit's harder than it seems…"

"Leeeeee!"

I sighed.

"I guess this works too."

It wasn't the original plan, but it would do just as well.

——————

"Human blood heals demons?"

"I think so," Iruma said as he held out his hand. "I mean, I got cut and a bit of my blood healed this one."

"Never worked on me," I said with a shrug. "Been in lots of fights and you know sometimes I came back with bits of blood on me."

He grimaced and nodded.

Just another mystery to add to the pile.

"Lee… I don't think I can make it much further," Iruma suddenly said. "I can't fly. I'm weak. It's only a matter of time till someone figures it out."

"…"

"Lee?"

I sighed.

"It doesn't matter," I said, scratching the back of my head. "We're only here until that old man lets us go back."

The longer I spent in the place, the more I realized there probably wasn't a way out. I didn't know this world. I didn't know what other strange powers the demons had. For all I knew, the only reason that old man could go to the human world was because of an innate power.

"Yeah," Iruma said with a grimace. "I don't-"

"But that doesn't mean I'm just going to sit on my ass and let something as silly as that hold you back," I said, standing up. "Iruma, you're not a demon, but that doesn't mean you're not special."

He blinked and looked up at me.

"Your luck and ability to dodge things is frankly insane."

He blinked, chuckled, and looked away.

"You never could hit me when we played dodgeball…"

"Or when I tried to teach you basic martial arts," I pointed out. "Point is, who cares if you don't have wings?"

This was a completely different world.

"For all we know, there's someone out there that can give you wings. I'm sure that old man has some ideas."

He gulped and looked up at me.

"I know we wanted to get out of here as quickly as possible, but I don't think it's going to be that easy anymore."

He winced and nodded.

"We'll be here for the long haul, so don't go giving up on me now."

The nebulous expression on his face shifted into something more confident. He smiled and stood up.

"You're right," he said with a nod, reaching out and grabbing my hand. "I'm not going to let something as silly as not having wings stop me!"

"Yeah!" I said.

"Who cares If I don't have wings!"

"Yeah!"

"In fact, I'm going to prove it right now!"

"Yea- Wait, what are you-"

Without hesitation, Iruma stepped off our feathered friend and jumped down into the valley.

"Ahhhhhhh!"

…

Damn it, Iruma!!

——————

As it turned out, our little detour wasn't entirely wasted.

"Lee, we have to help!"

I palmed my face and watched as Iruma ran to what most would call his "death." I'd only just saved him from going splat and then he ran off to save the pompous, blond demon who threatened us not too long ago.

"Yeah, yeah…"

I rushed after him, arriving just as the massive shadow descended on Sabnuck, or whatever his name was. If our bird friend was the size of a small house, then this thing was at least four times as big.

The earth rumbled as it moved.

"I won't die!" the blond idiot shouted. "Not until I've achieved the coolest of cools!"

…

What.

Somehow, Iruma made it just a second before I did. He leaped in front of the creature's massive, black nail.

Son of a-

The ground shattered beneath my feet. I rushed forward, turning into a blur. Something inside me screamed out. It felt like my body was burning from the inside out!

The world slowed to a crawl. I traced a deadly arc with my foot, smashing it into the obsidian claw and knocking the monster backward.

I breathed in and then out. Steam hissed as it escaped my lip.

"Lee… your foot's on fire!"

I blinked and glanced down at my legs.

"Oh. Well, shit."

I'd have to get new pants and shoes now...

 

[Leekz01]

Spoiler: Optional Music

Fire was nice and all, but not when it was on me.

"Lee?!" Iruma gasped, eyes bulging out like melons. "Your foot's on fire!"

…

"Yeah…"

I kicked at the air, trying and failing to hide my growing panic. My foot was on fire!!

Strangely enough, it didn't hurt, but still…

"My foot's on fire!"

I screamed, hitting the ground, the cliff faces around us, and just about anything I could reach. The earth shook, cracks raced up the nearby walls, and the massive beast staring down at us did nothing.

Maybe it was just as surprised as I was.

My foot sunk into the rocks as if they were made of paper mache. The wilder I thrashed and the more force I put into it, the more violent my destructive path became.

Had I always been this strong? That small voice in the back of my head whispered.

The fire refused to fade, and with each kick, it only seemed to grow in intensity. Soon enough, the flames were melting rock.

"I-I think you're making it worse!" Iruma shouted. "M-My eyebrows are starting to hurt!"

Beside him, Sabnock struggled to sit up. He let out a bloody cough and stared. His eyebrows caught fire a moment later.

"Lee! Do something!"

Something?! Like what?!"

"I'm trying!" I said, deciding to just shove my foot into the nearest wall. Fire needed air to burn things, right? I sure as hell didn't go to school, but I knew that much. "There!"

Even now, I didn't feel a lick of heat from my leg.

"I-It worked?" Iruma asked, carefully lifting up Sabnock or trying to, at least. Behind him, the massive monster leaned in to get a closer look at my leg too.

What? I wasn't some damned circus act!

The popping of stones and a loud crackle echoed through the valley. For a brief moment, I saw what looked like lightning arc around my legs before everything exploded.

Stone was blown aside and melted. To no one's surprise, my foot was still on fire. The cliff wall I'd jammed it into was smoldering. Liquid rock ran down its face like cheese and a massive hole had been punched into it.

"Fuck it," I said and sat down on the nearest rock.

A loud, yet soft hoot or something that sounded like one came from behind me.

"Ahhh!" Iruma shrieked. "O-Oh, wait… y-you're friendly."

Right. The damned monster was still there. Clinging to its back was the bird who'd been flying us around not too long ago.

"It's your family?" Iruma whispered. "C-Cool!"

Of course. I somehow end up unlocking some demon powers or something and it was all a waste.

I glared at my burning leg. It better put itself out. Just thinking about trying to live with it made me want to punch something.

"Whatever," I said with a grunt. "I'm going to take five."

I'd really had enough.

———————————

The three of us laid back on the massive, fluffy monster and enjoyed our ride to the finish line. It wasn't the fastest, but it was definitely comfortable.

"Lee…. are you feeling better?" Iruma asked.

My brow twitched. I looked down at my half-scorched pant leg.

"I'm fine," I said with a shrug. "No point getting annoyed over spilt milk."

What I was really worried about was the fact that I could set my leg on fire. What if it happened while I was sleeping? What if I was taking a shit? No, I had to figure out how to control that… whatever it was.

"So your ability the power to wield fire?" Sabnock asked. "It's pretty common, though there are all sorts of bloodlines that use it differently."

"Yeah, a friend of ours is pretty good at it," Iruma said with a smile. "I didn't know you could do that, though."

"Neither did I," I said with a huff. "You bet I'm going to figure it out, though."

Iruma smiled meekly and nodded.

At this point, we were sure to be in last place, but Sabnock was alive. To be honest, it was a fine trade.

"I'd like to express my gratitude for saving me," he said, bowing to Iruma and then to me. "I made a grave error and my arrogance nearly cost me my life. If the two of you hadn't arrived as you did, I'd be dead."

Wow. The guy was a real nerd when it came to formal talk.

"The two of you are truly impressive."

Iruma chuckled and scratched the back of his head.

"Oh, that was all Lee," he said with a sheepish smile. "All I did was flail around and distract it."

"Don't downplay your achievements," he countered. "What Lee did was, erm, something else, but your efforts took a great deal of courage."

Yo. Did he want to fight?

"And you were faster than me, Iruma" I added. "Besides, if you hadn't somehow charmed that bird, we'd have had to fight the big one."

Our ride chirped in agreement.

Iruma started to blush. He looked away and chuckled nervously. The kid was like one big tomato. There wasn't anything like seeing Iruma get all flustered when being praised.

"I guess it just goes to show that even the meanest-looking guys can be your friend if you try hard enough, right Lee?"

I shrugged.

"Maybe."

Sabnock wasn't that bad. That's something I realized now. Still, there were some really rotten people out there.

"We're almost there," I pointed out. "Let's hope Neby doesn't bite our heads off."

Sabnock coughed and Iruma snickered with a panicked look on his face.

"I've decided," Sabnock said with a grin. "The two of you are my rivals from this day forth! Let's test each other so that we may learn, grow, and rise to individuals worthy of being called Demon Lo-"

I pushed my palm into his face.

"Can you just shut up for a bit!"

Ugh! The guy had lungs strong enough to peel the back from trees!

"You're giving me a headache, man!"

"Lee!" Iruma fussed and tried to get me to calm down.

Yeah, whatever.

—————

Unsurprisingly, we were in last place. What was surprising was the fact that our teacher just had us sit in the corner with some weird signs around our necks. Iruma had been shaking like a leaf when we arrived.

"You dare go against everything I said? Are you idiots?!"

The guy looked like a volcano about to pop! If this was all he did after getting so worked up, maybe he wasn't so bad.

I took another look at Sabnock.

"Once more, I want to express my gratitu-"

The guy just wouldn't give it up, huh?

Maybe Iruma was right. These demons all looked scary and like assholes, but maybe they were like really big dogs?

"Let us begin your rank evaluation," Nebe said as he pulled an owl out of nowhere. Another magic trick?

"Come forth when your name is called and reach into its pouch," he said, plunging his hand into the small pouch on the owl's chest. Was that normal? Did owls have pouches like that? "This special owl has been watching all of you. It'll decide your rank."

Huh. Just another weird quirk, then?

He sent an annoyed glare toward us.

"Those who think themselves special will go last."

Yeah, yeah. We did mess up, so I couldn't even blame him there. Still, we made it, didn't we? That had to count for something.

We'd shown up on the back of that massive monster. Like hell we were getting the lowest rank!

"Hehe," Iruma giggled beside me. He was staring up at me with an amused expression. "For someone that didn't care about the ranks, you seem pretty excited to see what you get."

I rolled my eyes.

"After all the trouble we went through, I'd be pretty pissed if we got last place."

He nodded and then turned back to the owl.

"I don't want to lose either," he said with a determined expression.

Soon enough, it was our turn.

——

I reached into the owl's pouch. It went still and then looked at me with a horrified expression. Still, it didn't say a thing.

"Hey-"

It chirped out a panicked cry and then I felt something cool brush against my fingers.

"Hmm? What the hell is this?" It was a small badge, just like the others, but it was faded, cracked, and practically falling apart. "I can't even make out the damned rank!"

The owl hooted and then flew away, practically begging for Iruma to take his turn so it could leave.

Nabe moved closer, snatched the emblem from my fingers, and then studied it real close like.

"I think this is Rank Five?" He said, furrowing his brow. "Though it also looks like Rank Six. We'll go with the lower interpretation for now."

What? Why the lower one?!

"Rank five?"

"Wow!"

"No way!"

"And I thought hot stuff's Rank Four was amazing!"

…

Whatever. Five out of ten was a passing grade.

"Moving on, it's your turn," Nabe said as he urged Iruma forward.

Like everyone else, I watched the next few moments with my full attention. Iruma slowly pushed his hand into the pouch, and just like when I did it, the damned bird froze. This time, what came next was much worse.

The owl practically jumped away from Iruma, screeching wildly as it flew in terror.

"W-wait! You didn't give me a rank!"

Iruma called out, waving his hand in desperation. Rank or not, the bird had given him something. Attached to his finger was a plain, silver ring.

…

It was just a ring. So why? Why did I suddenly feel this strange, oppressive feeling weighed down on me?

"I-Is something wrong?" Iruma asked as he took a step closer to me. The others stepped back, but not I. Whatever the hell was going on, I wasn't going to just let it push me around.

"Lee? Are you ok?"

I shut my eyes and took another step forward, smashing straight into this "wall" that was making my hands twitch. It wasn't fear, not quite. Rather, my instincts were telling me to punch Iruma's head off.

Fuck that.

"I think that ring of yours might be doing it," I said and reached out, only to freeze as two massive, shadowy claws tore through my stomach.

I blinked and then looked down, mouth open in shock. It had happened so fast that I couldn't even react.

I winced and held back a scream. The claw was digging through my guts, looking for a very specific organ. My heart. Sharp talons cut through meat, and bone and then wrapped tightly around its mark.

I couldn't breathe. I couldn't move.

And then it clamped down, ending my-

"Lee?" Iruma spoke, ripping me out of my mind. "You're looking a bit pale. Do you have a fever?"

He reached up and put a hand on my forehead. It took everything I had not to punch or push him away.

Fuck this. Fuck that ring. And fuck whatever is making me feel like that.

"I'm fine," I said, staring at his ring with dagger-like eyes. "Let me take a look-"

I'd smash the damned thing to bits. If I had to throw the thing into a volcano, then I would!

"The ring? Oh, su-"

The instant he reached for it, an earsplitting shriek erupted from the ring. I saw a dark, shadowy creature poke its head out and roar.

It was annoying, but-

"Ahhhhh!"

"My ears!!"

"It hurts!!!"

"It's like death is shouting at me!"

The other students weren't handling it very well.

"Iruma, cover it! "

"Shut it up!"

Iruma's eyes went wide, and in a desperate attempt to keep it quiet, he cradled the dark monster as if it were a baby.

…

What. This was dumb. The dumbest part was that it actually worked!

This place. God, why couldn't things be normal for one bleeding moment?!

"Can't take off the ring, can you?" Sabnock said as he stood up and walked closer. "Leave it to-"

The shadow touched him and he spat out blood, falling to the ground in an instant.

Fuck this place.

 

[Leekz01]

Spoiler: Optional Music

The more I kept seeing demons, the less I saw them as all that different from humans, at least when it came to the way they acted.

"Don't worry, master Iruma, I'll-" Alice fell to the ground, clutching his throat as if he were choking. "M-My m-magical… en-"

He couldn't speak anymore.

"What the heck's going on?!"

One of the other students shouted.

"Oh my! That ring looks quite dangerous!"

"Don't worry, Il- Ugha!"

In short, Demons were either as stupid or as stubborn as humans. It was clear that Iruma's ring was draining them like a sponge. A single touch was more than enough to lay them out flat.

But they kept trying. Whether to prove themselves or to get into Iruma's good graces, a few had tried to take off the damned ring.

"Buncha idiots," I sighed and looked back at Iruma. "Let me try it again!"

I reached out and clamped my hands on the ring. It felt as if a thousand blades were cutting away at my fingers. The very flesh was sliced to the bone, leaving behind a skeletal digit.

I winced and pulled away.

"L-Lee!" Iruma stuttered out. "I think you should stop or you'll end up like everyone else!"

What? Was he saying I was dumb? Stubborn?

"Don't worry, little bro. I'll get this-"

"Stop being so stubborn," Kagelo grumbled as he sauntered up to Iruma. "I have no idea what's going on, but-"

He reached out for the ring and then froze. I'd seen the scruffy and weird teacher make a lot of expressions, but the pale look he had on his face was new. His eyes went wide and then he clamped his teeth down into a concerned frown.

"Dangerous," he whispered. "Best to get rid of it now."

He raised his finger. Jokes or not, the guy was a teacher. It was at that moment that I learned exactly what that meant.

In an instant, it felt like he'd gone from a scraggly guy to something greater than life. His shadow grew deep enough to freeze me where I stood. An unseen force crashed down on my bones, and I swore I heard them creak.

"Iruma," he said in a very calm and collected voice. I couldn't speak. Iruma couldn't speak. The cries and groans of the students had died. "Stay very still."

It wasn't an order or a suggestion. He was stating the truth of the world. Iruma would not move and there was nothing neither of us could do to stop him.

He brought his finger down toward the ring and the malicious presence within. Surprisingly, it shrunk away from Kalego. Like a cat who'd been bullying mice encountering a tiger, it could not resist the new predator.

And then-

"Hohoho, no no no~" A childish, haughty, and disgustingly familiar voice chortled. "You can't do that~"

H-How? Had he always been watching? That had to be the case, right?

"P-Principal?!" Kalego shouted- practically squealing at the sight of the old, horned demon.

He had to be watching, right? It was the only logical explanation. The other, less logical one was a bit too much for me to think about.

How fast would he have to be to reach us if he wasn't watching from nearby?

The thought made my stomach churn.

"You looked like you were getting ready to blow off poor Iruma's hand!" he said in a haughty, teasing laugh. "Can't have you do that now, can we?"

His words were soft. His smile was kind. And yet, his eyes spoke of malice beyond compare. If things had gone differently, there would have been hell to pay.

Kalego swallowed and then shook his head. Like a child caught with his hand in the cookie jar, he whispered out his response.

"I thought the other students might be put in danger," he said through gritted teeth.

Fuck em.

Iruma was worth way more than anyone else here. If it meant putting them in danger to take off the damned ring, then he better know I'd do it!

Alice and Val, though...

"Hohoho, but this is all caused by a misunderstanding!" the old goat said with a laugh. "You see, that ring is called the ring of gluttony!"

He reached out and tapped Iruma's ring. The shadowy presences within ballooned and then vanished completely.

"It is used to contain the user's magical power, but since it was empty, it tried to fill itself up!"

He snapped his fingers, did a twirl, and then scurried behind Iruma, fingers gently caressing his shoulder. A goofy grin split his lip.

"It's all good now~" he cheered and then turned to me. "I also saw your little find, Lee-ke~ Good job!"

…

What? No.

I didn't want to know.

Kalego sighed and then shook his head.

"Are we done here, then?" he asked.

Demon-face chuckled and stared at our "teacher."

"You tell me, Kalego-kun~ You're their teacher, after all~"

What a condescending prick. Still, he did save Iruma. I wasn't blind enough to miss that.

"Sul-"

A finger was on my lip before I could even finish the sentence.

"Come on, Lee-ke!" he whimpered and then fell to the ground, squirming like a worm. "You promised! You have to call me Grandpa, Grandad, or Grandpapa!"

Ugh. God, I hated this guy.

Everyone was staring now. I wasn't one to care about what others thought of me, but this old bat was making it so damned hard!

I took a breath, calmed the raging flames within me, and nodded.

"Thank you for saving Iruma, grandfather,"

Fuck em. It wasn't one of the options. If I was going to do what he wanted, then I'd do it this way!

"So cute~" he squealed. "I can't believe I have such a rebellious, handsome, and strong pair of grandsons!"

It was so damned embarrassing! I could feel my cheeks getting as red as a tomato.

"Could you wrap it up?" Kalego huffed. "I'd like to take the damned photo so we can all head home."

…

Maybe Kalego was a great guy after all. It was hard not to smile and look at him as if he were an angel.

"Everyone say violence!"

Someone shouted out.

"Violence!!"

What a way to start the school year…

—————

Hell, The Underworld, The Netherworld, this place had a bunch of names, though most people just called it the Demon Realm or some such.

"Why the hell are we going through this?" I asked, staring at Opera. "Isn't the point of school to teach us this crap?"

We'd just finished getting our ranks and finally securing a spot in that stupid abnormal class. Why the hell did we have to go through this?

"Don't be rude, Lee," Iruma said as he fussed over me. "Mr.Opera's trying to help. I-I mean, yeah, it is kind of counterintuitive, but I'm sure he means well!"

The quiet catboy's ears twitched. His tail moved left and then right.

"Though you've managed to skate by without knowledge so far, there is a big chance that you'll draw attention to yourselves moving forward."

"And?" I shot back. "Y'all didn't seem to care when you threw us into that school with barely any information."

Sure, they taught us the very basics of the world, but that was about as efficient as trying to feed rats with crumbs.

"The new year is filled with all kinds of weird, unique, and mysterious demons," he said casually. "Your shows of strength, dexterity, and loud mouths weren't all that surprising."

The cheeky smile on his lip was seriously pissing me off. The guy was too much like an actual cat!

"However, you'll be around your peers for much longer moving forward," he continued. "These are basic things you'll need to learn. It'd be like not knowing what color the sky is."

Iruma blinked.

"Ummm, blue?"

"At times," Opera said with a nod. "Sometimes it's red, orange, green, or even purple. See? You need to learn these things."

What a pain in the ass.

"Fine," I said with a shrug. "Teach us what we need and make sure we don't forget."

I crossed my arms over my chest and nodded.

"But if you tell us something that screws us over, I'll make sure to return the favor."

The catboy blinked.

"Lee, I'm on your side," he said sternly. "Well, I'm on his side, and he's on your side, so it's basically the same thing."

Yeah, yeah.

"As long as that's the case, I'll do everything in my power to make sure you succeed," he said, a tiny, genuine smile tugging on his lip. "Now, Let's get back to work, shall we?"

I sighed.

"Can either of you tell me which one of these Demons is supposed to have a tail and which one is not?"

…

"Ok, but why the hell do we need to know this?!" I said, pointing at his damned portraits. "I doubt every Demon knows this crap!"

Opera sighed.

"The curriculum was decided by the master of this house, so if you have an issue-"

"You bet I have issues!" I roared, jumping to my feet. "I'm going to have a chat with him so we only get what we need!"

"Lee!" Iruma gasped and was soon on his feet too.

The guy was clearly messing with us.

—————————

"Magic, huh?" Iruma looked down at the small ball. "A-Are you sure I can use it?"

"Of course," Opera said with a nod. "The ring allows you to harness the energy stored within and shape it to your will."

He then turned to me and tossed another one of those tennis balls.

"I'm certain Lee will have an easier time accessing his budding reserves, but control might be more… problematic."

"W-What am I supposed to do?" Iruma asked. "How's it work?"

I stared down at the ball. I knew how to hide my wings and tail, but doing something else? Was it similar?

Hmm. I stared at the ball and tried to transfer the same sensation into it.

"Magic is your will manif-"

A deafening explosion wracked the mansion's grounds as tiny bits of rubber struck my face.

"-ested," Opera finished and cleared his throat. "Your goal is to soak the ball with magic and make it glow. Any Demon your age should be able to accomplish such a feat."

His eyes turned to me.

"Large reserves mean very little if you can't control them. Please try your best and know that I'm rooting for you."

"Go! Go!"

"You can do it!"

"Yes, you can!"

"Go! Go!"

"Who are the best grandsons?"

"Yes! You two are!"

My brow twitched. I did everything in my power to stop myself from reacting.

"I think it'd be much easier if we didn't have someone distracting us."

"No can do," Opera said. "Think of it as simulating real-world conditions. You'll always be distracted in the middle of a dangerous situation, right?"

God damn it. I hated that he was making sense.

"Here's another ball, Lee," he said, chucking another one of the damned things at me. "Try not to-"

It popped the second it landed in my hands.

"Impressive," Opera mused and then reached behind his back. "But I have plenty. Don't you worry."

He pulled out half a dozen and then rolled them toward me.

Ass.

"This is hard…" Iruma grumbled. "How does it work? I-I know you said to use my will, but what does that mean?"

He looked up at me, a pleading spark in his eyes.

"H-How do you do it, Lee?"

…

Well, he didn't have wings or a tail. The closes thing to that would be-

"It's like taking a shit," I said with a nod. "You feel the energy building up inside you-" I pointed at his chest and then slowly moved my finger toward his hands. "And then you push it out as if you were opening up a dam! You'll feel a little bit refreshed after it too."

He blinked, turned to Opera and-

"H-How do you do it, Mr.Opera?"

 

[Leekz01]

Spoiler: Optional Music

View: https://youtu.be/erKlU8sL2Tk

The demon world was a surprisingly large place, all things considered. I'd taken a look at one of their maps just to check a few things, and, well, it was big.

"I wish I knew how to read a map…"

I'd only seen a map of Earth once or twice before, but it was around the same size as this, right?

"Ready for school?" Iruma said as he stepped into my room. "Oh… sorry. Are you setting something up?"

I sighed and shook my head.

"I usually just get Hans to do that stuff."

The penguin demon in question was lying on my bed.

"S-Sardines… d-dood…"

He was snoring, rubbing his stomach, and lazing around like some dog.

Iruma blinked and then let out a laugh.

"You really like him, huh?"

Like?

"That guy's a pain in the ass," I said with a shake of my head. "Always going on about food and other crap. He woke me up last night cause he was too scared to go to the bathroom."

Yeah, what's his face was terrifying, but that didn't stop me. Still, the thought of being caught by him while walking to the bathroom… ugh, it made the hairs on my neck stand on end.

The guy didn't even need to use it! He just wanted to brush his teeth!!

"I think he reminds me a bit of Sulfur," Iruma said with a cheeky smile. "You remember him, right? His black fur was always so fluffy, but it'd get full of dust, dirt, and all that stuff. We had to give him a bath every day!"

I shut my eyes and calmed the feelings building up inside me. That damned cat…

"Time for school you said?" I finished with the map and stepped forward. "What do we have today?"

"Huh? Oh! I think there's some plant class. It had a long, complicated name, so I didn't really memorize it…"

"Good," I said with a grin. "Remember what I told you?"

His lip rose into a confident grin.

"If it's too long to remember, it ain't worth jack!" he proclaimed proudly.

Heh.

"Damned right!"

The sound of someone clearing their throat pulled both of our attention toward the door.

"Opera? I-Is something wrong?" Iruma asked nervously. "You usually wait for us by the front."

The cat boy nodded and did a little bow.

"Your friends have arrived a bit earlier today."

Friends?

"Oh, I guess that's Asmodeus-kun."

"He said friends," I pointed out. "As in more than one."

"Correct," Opera said with a teasing smile. "I see your observation skills are sharp as ever."

…

That damed smirk. What the hell did he mess with now? I took a good look at my room, his uniform, and even Iruma's clothes. Nothing seemed out of place.

"She's small, has green hair, and calls herself-"

A loud explosion echoed through the grounds.

"Clara!" Iruma gasped.

"We have another stalker now?" And here I thought Alice was enough.

"Don't be like that, Lee," Iruma chastised. "I think Clara's really friendly."

"Right, right," I said with a nod. "Let's go pick them up and be on our way before goaty decides to skin them and string them up for disrupting his beauty sleep."

Opera snorted.

"Please," he said, shaking his head. "I believe he's more likely to turn them into slippers and gift them to you."

The mischievous flash in his eyes was damned annoying. I knew he was full of crap, but a small voice in the back of my head told me otherwise.

This guy was a real shit-disturber, and he only messed with me.

Hopefully, Val wouldn't be too much of a pain.

——————

"And so I followed Alice home and told him to take me to your house!" Val said as she jumped onto my lap, stood on it to look over my shoulder, sat next to me, sat back in my lap, pulled out some weird toys, and then started jumping up and down again. "And I didn't stop until he said yes!"

The carriage was big enough for at least six people. Why was she doing this?!

"I apologize," Alice said with a disappointed expression. "I tried to resist, but she was simply too persistent. I'm willing to accept any punishment you might have, Lee-Sama!!"

He proceeded to prostrate himself in front of me.

Yeah, it was just another one of those days.

—————————

School was still a brand-new experience for me. I'd only really heard things from Iruma, and it wasn't like he knew all that much about school either.

If I ever saw his parents again, I'd-

"And that's how it works~"

"Wow!"

"Amazing!"

"I mean, doesn't everyone know this already?"

"Please stop ruining my immersion."

Ah, crap. What did I miss?

"Now everyone try and bring out your own magical power, ok?"

Wait, was she actually the teacher, then? The tiny… gremlin? No, wait, wasn't Val a gremlin?

…

Eh, close enough. Anyways, she was our teacher? I'd thought she was some kid who'd sneaked in or something.

"Y-Yes, Ms.Suzy!" Iruma exclaimed. "D-Do you have any more advice?"

Really? Did he need to ask? He was probably fine, especially after that little training session of ours.

"Why, yes!"

Right. Ignore her.

"Lee~" Val said as she scurried over next to me, a pot in hand. "Wanna try this together?"

Iruma was fussing over his pot while Alice and Suzy talked. It was probably for the best if I kept Val entertained. The alternative was probably worse…

"Sure," I said with a nod, giving Val some space. "I kind of missed the first bit, so what are we supposed to do?"

Val giggled. She quickly put her pot next to mine and then placed her hands on her hip.

"Visualize your magic! Feed it to the sprout! And then see what happens!"

Huh. Alright. That didn't sound so difficul-

"Screaaagh!" an ear-piercing shriek had me spinning around. Was that some sort of enemy attack-

"Yeah!" Sabnock exclaimed. "You go, little guy!"

His "plant" had evolved into some sort of violent thing. It had a wolf's head. It had fangs. Oh, it was eating the very pot it had grown in.

"So cool~" Val whispered. "Do you think our plants will be like that?"

I winced and looked down at my pot. Considering all the crazy stuff that happened, I wouldn't be surprised if it set itself on fire.

"I'm sure yours will be something I'll never forget…"

Her eyes practically turned into stars at that.

"Really?!" she asked excitedly. "W-Well, I can't disappoint you, then!"

Oh boy.

"Here. I. Go!"

I took a few steps back and watched her pot. A shiver raced down my spine and I could feel something in the air. It made my nose tingle and the hair on my arms stood on end.

I knew this feeling- or at least I did now. It was magic.

"Grow, my pretty!" Val exclaimed, a devilish grin on her lip. And still, she somehow managed to look childish.

The small, green sprout in her pot bubbled. It ballooned up like some growth, and then from that came another growth. Like a twisted jenga tower, more and more growths kept sprouting until an uneven tower remained.

It was about half as tall as Val.

"Wha-" she stuttered out, eyes wide and uncertainty reflected in them.

The tower wiggled and then grew a pair of meaty, muscular arms and fists.

This time, it was I who was completely caught off guard.

"What-"

It lashed out with a mean, right hook. The damned thing shot out of the pot like some sort of cartoon. It stretched out past Val and came right for my face!

"Mother-"

I slapped it aside and then ducked as it launched a left straight.

"What are-"

I stepped to the left, dodging its follow-up.

"Sto-"

A barrage of punches came for me. With each strike, the thing was speeding up!

"Enough!" I hissed, kicking the damed stretchy monster. It didn't work and I found a fist kissing my face for the trouble.

"…"

Ok. That's it.

"You di-"

"Stop!" Val shouted, grabbing the pot and then shoving it up her shirt.

…

What.

Like some sort of vacuum, the damned plant was dragged inside. It clawed at the ground, reaching out to me as if asking for help.

I blankly stared as it was devoured by the darkness under Val's shirt, and I wasn't the only one.

"D-did anyone else-"

Val smiled. Her face was devoid of all emotion. She was like the Mona Lisa, except way creepier.

"Let's see your plant, ok!"

I nodded and stepped forward, reaching out toward my pot.

Some things were better left forgotten.

"Can I see under your shirt?"

This wasn't one of those things. I wasn't one of those people. I had to know!!

Why wasn't anyone else asking the important questions?! How could they just ignore-

"Not unless you marry me!" Val said, sticking her tongue out. She was blushing. "Are you going to marry me?"

"If you show me-"

"Lee!" Iruma shouted, rushing to my side in an instant. "I know you didn't mean it like that, but you really have to be careful with what you say!"

I frowned and crossed my arms.

"But don't you want to-"

"That's rude!" he hissed, face heating up. Oh, man. His blush was even more intense than Val's. "Calra, sorry about Lee. He's kind of… um… dumb when it comes to social stuff."

I wasn't the only one, Iurma!

"You're pretty bad too, you know?"

"Not this bad!" he hissed. "J-Just, apologize, ok?"

I rolled my eyes and faced Val.

"Sorry If I said something that might have offended you." There. A formal apology, just like he'd taught me.

Val blinked and then started giggling.

"Everyone calls me a little kid, but you're even more innocent than me!" she said with a teasing grin. "You're so much fun!"

In the next instant, she'd clamped herself onto my face like a tick. I was pretty sure I could feel her legs wrapping around my neck.

I couldn't breathe.

Surely I was having some horrid nightmare, right? Iruma and I got hit by a car, right?

—————————

"It's kind of… cute?" Val said as she looked at my plant. "What's it supposed to be?"

It looked like a sunflower, except it had a mouth. The thing coughed and spat out a ball of fire. It coughed again and then spat a bolt of lightning.

"Lee? Can I have it?" Val asked. "It's cute."

"Uhh… sure?" It hadn't exploded. That was good enough for me!

"Yay!" Once again, Val grabbed the plant and lifted her shirt up. No one was looking so-

She turned around and stuffed it inside.

"No peeking~" she said, glancing over her shoulder and winking at me.

Clever girl… still, I would learn her secrets. Clearly, it was magic and I wanted it.

"Let's see how Iruma-"

"Wagh!!"

"What the heck?!"

"So big!"

"Heh. That's what Lee said!"

Huh. Well, I guess there was no point moving anymore.

"It's so pretty…" Val whispered.

Well, it was a tree with pink petals. It was about twice as tall as Iruma and its roots had dug into the classroom floor. Thankfully, that was all the damage it caused.

Would it have gone as smoothly if we hadn't had that training, though?

Val furrowed her brow and then looked at the tree. She glanced down at her shirt and then back at the tree.

Impossible. That wasn't going to happen.

"Excellent!" Our teacher said with a genuine, if small, smile. "All of you made such wonderful little friends!"

"I think Sabnock's plant escaped."

"It nearly bit my finger off!"

"Yes. Very nice little friends!" the teacher said again. "I hope you take this lesson to heart."

"No, seriously. I think it stole a knife he made and jumped out the nearby window…"

"Magic is shaped by our will. Whether that be the conscious or unconscious mind, we must always be careful."

"I think I hear someone screaming from outside…"

"A lapse in intent could have unexpected consequences!"

"Ya." Val said with a nod. "Lee. Good job! We did good!"

She gave me a thumbs up.

A good job, huh?

 

[Leekz01]

Spoiler: Optional Music

View: https://youtu.be/K3Kh3nFGBjk

Life had a habit of passing people by if they didn't pay attention. To be honest, I was feeling a little bit like that.

As Iruma, Val, Alice and I sat quietly in one of the school's many courtyards, I couldn't help but think such thoughts.

"I can't believe they have homework too…" Iruma said as he looked down at our first "project."

"It's fun!" Val exclaimed, fiddling with her own.

"No, it's annoying," I grumbled. "This thing keeps falling apart…"

What the heck was that crazy teacher thinking? We'd only been at her class for a week at most!

"Precision and endurance are just as important as power, Lee-sama," Alice said as he held up his project. "I'd be honored if you would allow me to show you how it's done."

The puddle of slime in his plate jiggled a bit.

"Simply pour your magical energy into the slime and then shape it into the desired form," he said, pouring a bit of his magic into the gelatinous blob. "Imagine that you can achieve your result, even if you are not confident. Hold that thought and allow the slime to mold itself to it."

I blinked. What…

"Try not to push too much or the shell will pop and and destabilize," he said, demonstrating by allowing his slime to burst. "It take a great deal of patience and control, but I know both you and Iruma-sama will be able to do it."

"Yeah!" Val said with a cheeky grin. "Just cause I got it before you guys don't mean anything!"

She giggled and then held out her slime. It twisted and quickly took on the shape of a… shark. No, that shark had wings and legs!

"You've got an active imagination," I said, rolling my eyes. "What even is that monstrosity you've made?"

Val blinked and then held out her figure.

"It's a juvenile sky-shark, I believe," Alice answered for her. "But she's shaped it all wrong. It's like a child's interpretation."

Oh…

"Y-You mean those are real?" Iruma asked, gulping nervously. "O-Or are you joking? Haha…"

"Of course they're real!" Val said, puffing her cheeks out. "They're kind of endangered cause people really like their wings, but I've seen some!"

Seriously? What other crazy monsters did this world have?

"While she may come up with ludicrous ideas at times, I must reluctantly agree," Alice said with a nod. "As a child, I adored demonic beasts. I had several in a pen at home."

"Y-You had a zoo at home?" Iruma asked, eyes going wide in shock. "That's kind of cool, actually…"

"As is loaded," Val said with a toothy grin.

I rolled my eyes.

"Whatever, let me give this another shot!" There was no way I'd lose to a slime!

"A-actually, I was curious about this," Iruma said as he pointed at his slime. "Is this a demonic beast too? Or-"

Alice's eyes lit up and he smiled.

"Why, yes! They're not very smart, but-"

A deafening explosion shook the area. Dirt, debris, and bits of rubble flew past our heads.

All eyes turned to me.

"What?" I growled. "I didn't do anything!"

Hell, Iruma was as much of a klutz as me at times when it came to magic!

The cloud of dust and smoke cleared a little bit, revealing a demon groaning near us. He had a pair of goat horns on his head and a lion's tail. What sort of demon was he? Why was he on the floor?

Did he cause the explosion?

"H-Help!" he whimped, reaching a hand toward me.

"You-"

"Don't," a sharp, commanding voice called out. "Troublemakers like him don't deserve mercy."

Alice frowned, and as Val tried to jump and do something, he held her back.

Stepping out the remaining cloud of dust was a girl with scarlet hair. It reached to the back of her knee and swayed in the wind.

Her eyes were as sharp as daggers and her boots had a few spots of blood on them. She towered over everyone else and just about matched my height.

Who was she?

"You three seem to be enjoying your lunch, so ignore this fool," she said, stepping on the pleading demon's head. "When one breaks the rules, order must be upheld or everything devolves into chaos."

She said with a sigh.

"S-Stop!" the demon whimpered. "I-I didn't-"

"Don't lie," the girl said with a shake of her head. "You were caught red-handed and tried to run by breaking the window."

She huffed and then pointed her hand toward the school. The rest of the dust was gone, letting me see the large hole left by the explosion.

"If you can't do at least that, then don't call yourself evil, got it?"

She pressed her foot down slowly, causing the boy to squeal until he passed out.

"Worthless," she grumbled, picking him back up and throwing him over her shoulder. "You guys, clean this place up. I'll take him to the infirmary," she ordered.

It was only now that I noticed the other people behind her. All of them were wearing the same black coat. Was that another kind of uniform?

"They're the student council," Alice whispered as everyone watched them go. "I would suggest not affiliating yourselves with them…"

Student council?

"So they're like the big boss of the students?" I asked.

"In a matter of speaking," Alice said with a nod. "They're responsible for listening to the students and being their voice. Should there be any problems, then they are to stamp them out."

"Literally in this case," Val said with a frown. "Did you see how far that guy flew? I want to go that far…"

Her eyes went wide and she turned to me.

"Lee! Lee! Can you throw me?!"

The tiny gremlin rushed to my side, arms up in the air and jumping in place.

Without hesitation, I picked her up, turned around, and lobbed her away in a random direction, making sure she wouldn't get hurt.

"Yay!"

She rolled through the air and landed no worse for wear.

Demons were surprisingly resilient!

"Sounds like a job with a lot of authority," I said.

"Quite!" Alice said with a nod. "If either of you are interested, then I'd highly suggest trying to aim for student council president! There are no better candidates than you two!"

"Didn't you say not to mess with them?" Iruma asked curiously. "Why did you change your mind?"

Lifting his head up, Alice chuckled.

"Because it's you, obviously," he said confidently. "It-"

Running back in, Val stood in front of me again, jumping up and waving her hands while laughing.

"Lee! Lee! Do it again!"

I wordlessly threw her again, humming as I stared at the redhead walking away.

"Who's she?"

"Azazel Ameri," Alice answered immediately. "She's the current acting student council president."

Huh.

"Well, she's imposing, I guess…" And, was she looking our way? What, did she have super hearing or something?

"Lee! Lee! It's your turn!"

Actually, it almost looked like she was watching Iruma, but why? Could it be she wanted to fight him to assert dominance or some-

"Why did you grab my haaaaaaaaaaaa-"

That was all I managed to get out before Val started to spin. In the span of a second, she launched me away.

It taught me a valuable lesson.

Never ignore Val unless I'm prepared for her to do something crazy.

—————

Time continues to flow. A few days later, I had a small disagreement with Iruma.

"You really need to stop helping these people…" I said with a sigh. "I'd say forget about it, but getting the teacher's attention probably isn't a good idea…"

Iruma smiled. It was that classic innocent turn of the lip that made him look like some sort of angel.

"It's fine, Lee," he said with a smile. "You can go and do your lap around the school. I'll be fine, you know!"

Fine?

I crossed my arms. The school was a den of literal demons.

"Come on," he said, flashing me his ring finger. "I appreciate it, but I can protect myself now, you know?

Ugh… damn it, he was right. How could I expect him to get out of his shell if he didn't do things alone? But at the same time, I didn't want him to go off alone! He needed me to make sure he didn't get caught up in something he couldn't deal with!

"Alright," I said with a nod. "I'll be around, so just call if you need me."

He smiled.

"Alright, see you later, Lee!"

I watched as he turned a corner. Once the coast was clear, I made my way after him. Like any good brother, It was my job to make sure he was safe. What better way to do that than let him do things by himself than watching from afar?

"Watcha doing?"

I nearly jumped out of my pants as someone sneaked up on me.

How the-

"You sneaking after Iruma-kun?" Val asked with a curious grin. "Is it a game?"

She reached into her pouch pocket and pulled out some twisting bar of candy.

"Want some?" she asked. "Tastes really good!" Taking a bit, she offered me a piece.

"…"

"Fine," I said, snatching it up and shoving it into my mouth. I'd learned a few more things after knowing Val. To be specific, she'd just keep escalating things until she got her way.

"How's it taste?"

I ignored her and glanced down the hallway. Everything seemed to be going fine.

"Do you know where Alice is?" I asked. "Haven't seen him all day."

That guy was something else. I honestly wouldn't be surprised If he came to school sick so long as it meant being with Iruma and me. There was loyalty and then there was that.

"Don't know," Val said with a shrug. "Maybe he's got a fancy meeting with his dad or something? He's pretty important, you know!"

Right…

"Come on, he's moving."

I couldn't afford to let Iruma leave my sight!

——————

The rest of the day went more or less the same. Iruma walked around, helping with this and that. He couldn't turn down anyone who genuinely needed help. Once upon a time that wasn't limited to just good people. Thankfully, it was one of the things I managed to knock loose out of him.

I couldn't blame him for being nice, could I?

"Oh! Look!" Val whispered, pointing down the hall. "I think the president is trying to suck out Iruma-chi's soul!"

His what?!"

I nearly sprinted around the corner. Thankfully, Val was in the way, so I had to settle for crawling onto her back.

"What? No, that's-"

The president was definitely sucking something, but it wasn't his soul, right? She was a tall girl, and while I wasn't the best at these kinds of things, I could tell a kiss when I saw one.

"Look, she's holding his head and leaning down!" Val whispered. "Classic soul-sucking position!"

I could only see Iruma's back and the top of that girl's face's head. She was bending over and her face was right in front of Iruma's. What else could it be?

"Come on, Lee! We have to save Iruma!" Val shouted, ready to leap out and charge the student council president.

I sighed and wrapped an arm around her stomach, pulling her away.

"I doubt that's it, so let's keep quiet and watch what actually happens…"

Demons were weird. It was entirely possible that she was sucking his soul, but it looked more like she was sucking his face. Besides, she'd have to be crazy to try something like that.

"Wha- b-but what else could It be?!"

I turned to her and raised a brow. Really?

"Don't play coy," I said with a huff. "Weren't you the one talking about getting married or whatever because of a kiss?"

Her eyes sparkled mischievously.

"It wasn't a kiss, Lee," she said, folding her hands over her chest. "It was something way more embarrassing."

I rolled my eyes.

"Whatever. Look, can people actually suck souls out of each other with a kiss?"

"Well, umm… I can't," she said, shaking her head. "At least I don't think so, but I could always practice and see if it's something I can learn!"

Practice? What was she even-

"Oh! They're leaving!

What?!"

Damn it!

"Ok, follow me!" I hissed, crouching down and rushing after them.

Don't worry, little bro. I'll look after you…

 

[Leekz01]

Spoiler: Optional Music

View: https://youtu.be/6OayHkxRIhw

———————————-
Pov: Azazel Ameri
———————————-​

Humans were little more than silly fairy tales. This was something everyone knew- they were as "real" as the bedtime stories parents told their kids to keep them in line. I knew this, or at least I believed that to be true for the longest time. But they were real! My father had told me long ago.

They were mythical creatures that once formed potent contracts with Demons. An equivalent exchange, as it were. We Demons granted their desires, and in return- in return… well, that was a bit more questionable. Supposedly we took the energy from their desires and added it to our own. Eating their souls was also an option, though something that barbaric couldn't be true.

Father always refused to go into the details of that part.

They were still a mystery, even with what our family knew.

In any case, humans were real. Sure, most might see them as tall tales, but I had proof. More importantly, I was certain that one of our newest students was a human.

His scent was… odd, but that wasn't the reason. Ever since his appearance, things just didn't quite fit. He chanted a forbidden spell on his very first day and survived. He managed to summon one of the teachers and form a contract with him. The tree he'd summoned during class, while small, was like nothing in the Demon world! It was a completely new species! And then there was his "brother." Oh, he was undoubtedly a demon, but my gut said there was something there too...

No. This "Iruma" was doubtlessly a human and he'd somehow managed to bend the wills of two powerful demons and a young girl to his whims. How? Was he a danger to the school?

I had to know. Humans were both incredibly weak and strong at the same time. A simple blow to the head could knock them out, but they had mystical, almost reality-warping powers along with such frail constitutions!

I reached into my blouse and pulled out a familiar book. The "Forbidden" book held all manner of information on humans. My family had passed it down from generation to generation. Now it was in my hands. I'd read through every volume, but the language used within still eluded me.

Still, from what I'd understood, they could command great power. Power such as the "Bump With Bread" charm. Simply running into a member of the opposite sex while holding a piece of bread in one's mouth was enough to bend fate itself to their whims! I didn't know how this worked, but it did. The other individual would be fated to fall in love with the user of this cursed technique.

Personally, I found it silly, but the Forbidden Book had illustrations of these powers. In fact, simply looking at the book made my heart beat faster, so there was no doubt in my mind that such effects did exist!

If looking left me like that, then the real thing had to be so much worse!

Something like that… I couldn't just watch as the students were put in danger. If my hunch was correct, then this "Iruma" had to be stopped.

The paradoxical existences known as "humans" could be defeated. I just had to be smart about this.

——

I knew what I had to do. I'd prepared myself for it.

And yet… and yet!

How?! How did I wind up in a situation like this?!

"Ah! Sorry about that!" the human said as he held out a hand. "I should have been paying more attention. Are you ok?"

He bumped into me. He'd performed the same actions as in the book! I could already feel my heart starting to race. A blush crawled over my face and I couldn't avert my eyes from him.

There was one saving grace, however.

He had no bread! The charm was incomplete! Ha!!

What a fool! Did he think such half-hearted measures were enough to claim my mind? Well, if he wished to challenge someone of my standing, then I would bring my all to bear!

I steeled myself and reached out, clamping his shoulders and bringing my face close to his. My eyes met his and he stared back.

"I won't fall so easily," I hissed, a confident grin crawling across my face. "This is the end. You've failed!"

I swiftly grabbed his hands so that he could not run away. The only thing left to do now was call Father and-

"I'm sorry!" he shouted, bringing his hands down and nearly pulling me to the ground.

W-What?! Was this another blasted human technique?! The book didn't say anything about-

"A-Ah!"

It fell. The forbidden book tumbled out of my blouse' pocket and onto the floor.

He… He knew! The bastard was trying to get a hold of the book so he could cast even more dangerous spells! Well, I wasn't going to-

"Oooh! This is 'First Love Memory'" he said with a cheerful smile. "I used to read this all the time! Lee didn't like it. He said it was too girly, but stuff like this is really nice!"

He furrowed his brow and then glanced in my direction. "But, wait, since when is manga here?"

"Y-You know the book?" the words left my lips without hesitation. How? Was this another trick?

"Oh, yeah!" he said with a smile. "My favorite part is still when Rin and Kakeru went to the beach! Everyone loves a good beach episode, you know!"

"Y-You can read it?" Of course, he could. He was a human! But, wait, why was he so happy? Was this another charm?

…

He hadn't done anything yet.

"…"

"W-Wait! I don't kno-"

I tightened my grip.

"Come with me."

In one swift motion, I started dragging him away.

"W-Wait! What?!"

He could read the book and he didn't have any bread.

All I needed was a few minutes- an hour at most!

I had to know what the characters in the book were saying!

I had to!

Once that was over and done with, I'd decide what to do with him.

Yes. This was the smartest way after all.

————————

——————
Pov: Lee
——————​

"Are… are you serious?" What. The. Hell.

"Yes!" Val exclaimed, nodding vigorously as she adjusted the small mirror underneath the door with one hand. With her other hand, she brought up her tail and stared at the heart-shaped tip. "They're reading books!"

"That can't be right," I said, shaking my head. "Look, she dragged him back here for a reason, and I doubt it was just to have him read some stupid books!"

I grumbled.

"Now's not the time for games, Val."

"But I'm not playing," she said, staring at me firmly. "I'm looking through my tail, and that's what I see!"

Damn it. Iruma could be in actual trouble! Was she actually joking or not?!

"Let me just take a look for myself," I said, reaching out and snatching her tail before she could say anything. It was strangely soft, but also a bit slick. If anything, it reminded me of Hans' smooth penguin skin.

...

"There's nothing here." What was she staring at, then? It was just her tail.

"Lee…" Val looked up at me, cheeks puffed out and brow furrowed in frustration. "Y-You shouldn't go grabbing people's tails like that! It's super rude, and embarrassing, and I can't believe you'd touch me like that! We're too young to get married, you know!! I told you this a bunch of times!"

Huh?

"Iruma-chi was right! You suck when it comes to social stuff!"

Erm…

"Umm… sorry?" I let go. "I just wanted to see-"

She spun around, playfully slapping my hand with her tail. My eyes went wide and I nearly jumped as something nibbled on the back of my hand.

What the heck?!

"It's oki doki!" she said, reaching out and spinning me around. "I'll just grab your tail and we're even!"

But I don't-

"Gah?!" I jumped. "Did you just pinch my ass?!"

Val was looking at me, a small blush on her cheeks. Her index finger and thumb were pressed together.

"Well... I didn't see a tail!" she shot back with a huff. "Since you don't have one, I thought this would make us even instead!"

That didn't make any sense! Ugh… this girl…

"Look, I'm sorry," I said with a sigh, reaching out and patting her head. "I won't grab it again if it bothers you. I just want to make sure Iruma's not in danger."

Pouting like some sort of fish, she locked eyes with me. Was… was she going to cry?

"P-Play?" she asked meekly. "C-Can we play a-after school? T-Together?"

Shit. Did I mess up that badly?

"Alright, alright. Ok. I'm sor-"

"Yay!" she said, jumping up in the air. "I'll go grab you and take you out somewhere fun!" she stuffed her hands into her pockets, pulling out another small mirror. "We can eat candy, play a bunch of games, and if some bad guys try to mess with us, we kick their butts! I call their faces!"

What.

She held out her tail, turning it around so I could get a good look at the heart-shaped end.

"Here, squeeze the sides!"

Huh? But wasn't she just complaining about-

She grabbed my hand, clamping down on it and forcing me to squeeze her tail. That was all it took to reveal a hidden eye slumbering underneath all that sleek, red… flesh?

I stared at it. It stared back at me.

Val's demonic energy flared and then I could see through the eye. Reflected on its surface was Iruma and that Ameri girl.

He… he really was reading her a damned book! Wait, I knew that book! It was that drivel love romance crap!

"See?" Val proclaimed, pressing her hands against her hip. "I wasn't lying!" She puffed out her chest. "Don't you feel dumb now? You have to trust me more, Lee!"

Son of a-

"I'm sorry," I said, looking away from her. "I should have listened to you the first time."

Damn it. Why do I always-

"It's ok~" Val said. "You do get kind of fussy whenever Iruma is involved." She giggled. "You kind of remind me of a Dino-hen! They always go around biting off the heads of anything that gets close to their chicks!"

A… a dino what?

I scratched the side of my head and sent another look toward the door. If Iruma was fine, then maybe we didn't have to stick around.

…

No. He needed my help. As long as he needed me, I wasn't going anywhere.

"Don't know what that is," I said with a shrug. "You don't mind sticking around until he gets out, do you?"

"Nope!" she said with a grin. "I have some cards! Let's play!"

I sighed.

Everything was a game with her, wasn't it?

"Sure."

——————

"Huh? You're not going home?" Iruma asked, his brow rising in surprise. "Really?"

I grumbled and nodded.

"Did something to that loud-mouthed girl, so have to play with her for a bit to make up for it."

He blinked and then smiled.

"Hehe, I see," he said, staring at me as if I were some kind of puppy. "It's good that you're doing stuff like this, Lee! I remember when you didn't even like talking to other people!"

Yeah, sure.

"That's cause they didn't have anything important to say." I shrugged. "I'll be back as soon as I can, so don't do anything crazy."

Chuckling, he nodded. "You worry too much," he said. "Though, yeah. Don't be gone for too long! I'll miss you!"

Ugh! Son of a-

"Y-yeah," I grumbled. "Be back in a bit. Here, keep this guy for company."

With a snap of my finger, Hans appeared in front of me. "Throw him if something attacks you. He makes for a pretty big explosion."

"Dood!" the penguin gasped. "That's so evil, dood! Say no to murder, dood!"

Smiling, Iruma gently picked him up.

"D-don't worry, I won't do that."

"Yay! You're the best, dood! Don't worry, I'll make sure to aim for the nuts and bite super hard if something does attack, dood!"

Iruma winced.

"M-maybe not the nuts…"

I rolled my eyes. Right. Time to head off before Val comes up with an even worse idea...

"Cya."

Grabbing his little penguin's hand, Iruma waved at me.

"I get the heebie-jeebies around her, food! Just be careful she doesn't eat your face, dood!"

I made sure to ignore every word that was coming out of his mouth.