__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Hakuou Academy.
Class 1-B was as lively as always.
Students gathered in little cliques, chatting away according to personality and hobbies.
But the group that always drew the most attention was the circle of beauties centered around Mahiru Shiina, Miura Yumiko, and Gabriel.
Anyone with eyes could see it: Class 1-B had a shocking number of gorgeous girls.
Yui Yuigahama , Nibutani Shinka, Ebina Hina—all standouts in their own right.
Especially Yuigahama and Nibutani. The way their uniforms curved with fullness drew plenty of stolen glances from the boys.
What guy isn't a little pervy, after all? Beautiful things naturally invite more passion.
Mahiru was glowing that day too, even cuter than Gabriel.
Why? Well, Gabriel the angel didn't seem to "develop" as quickly as Mahiru.
But that was only natural.
After all, Andrew had been diligently "helping" little angel Mahiru with her growth. At this point, it was practically part of his daily routine.
Watching the girl everyone admired, while secretly knowing she already belonged entirely to him, gave Andrew a smug sense of satisfaction.
That morning he'd even made time to guide the Akizuki sisters, so he was in great spirits—refreshed, not tired in the slightest.
Even better, he'd discovered something new: deepening the bond with his contracted followers seemed to refine his magic. His reserves had actually grown afterward.
Which made sense. Bestowing magic seeds on his followers consumed his own power, and using magic like that only strengthened his control. With each drain, his capacity expanded.
Everything was moving in the right direction.
Just thinking of the Akizuki sisters made the corner of his mouth curl.
Airi was bold and open, a great role model for her shy older sister, Marina.
And Marina's bashfulness? Andrew loved it.
Especially when she tried to smother her own voice, pressing both hands over her mouth to stifle her cries, cheeks flushed with shame… absolutely adorable.
Cough. Stop. Don't go there.
Any more and something might stand up in class.
No denying it—having two quality contracts at once had turned his desires up a few notches.
Otherwise, why would his mind keep wandering like this first thing in the morning?
Back to reality.
Class today was unusually harmonious.
Hikigaya Hachiman sat in his usual corner, dead-fish eyes quietly observing, gaze lingering on Saika Totsuka.
Hayama Hayato laughed brightly at his friends' banter, though if you paid close attention, you'd notice Tobe and Ōoka rarely made eye contact. They weren't really friends with each other—they were just connected through Hayama.
Andrew, unlike Hayama, didn't bother making small talk with the boys. After exchanging a few words with Katō Megumi, he pulled out his phone, a mischievous grin forming.
He decided to tease Nibutani Shinka.
Typing quickly, he sent:"Mori Summer, Lady Shinka—it's you, right?"
Shinka's phone buzzed. She opened it absentmindedly, then froze.
Her whole body jolted as she whipped her head around, meeting Andrew's half-smiling gaze.
Panic flooded her.
Oh no. Oh no no no!
Did Andrew just figure out what "Mori Summer" meant?
"Mori," which means forest, sounded like her surname, Nibutani. "Summer" meant Natsu. Put together... Shinka.
And matched with her full name—Nibutani Shinka—the connection was obvious.
Her stomach dropped when Andrew gave her a grin uglier than crying. She fumbled with her phone and typed furiously:
"Andrew, meet me after second period. I need to talk to you alone."
His reply came instantly."No problem, Miss Mori Summer the Great Magician!"
"Ahhh!" Shinka groaned aloud, clutching her head and rocking in her seat.
Don't call me that! What do I do? The memories are attacking me! My brain is shaking!
All those embarrassing chūnibyō declarations she'd buried away came rushing back like the horror of being caught streaking in the middle of the night.
What if he tells people?!
If her classmates ever found out the model honor student—aspiring student council president—had once been a cringy chūni who spouted delusional nonsense, she might actually die.
Well, maybe not literally die. But social death? That was worse. The torment of it was beyond words.
By the time second period ended, her smile was firmly back in place.
She walked over to Andrew and, in the sweetest tone she could muster, said:"Andrew, can you come with me? There's something really important I need to tell you."
Her strategy was simple: fight rumor with rumor. If he dared expose her dark past, she'd cling to him relentlessly. No girlfriend for him then.
And judging by how close he seemed with Mahiru Shiina… wouldn't that scare him?
If she had to, she'd go down swinging. Mutual destruction.
But maybe—just maybe—this was exactly what Andrew wanted.
Since his relationship with Mahiru wasn't public, if people mistook Shinka for his girlfriend, he wouldn't really lose out.
In fact, he might even win.
Once they reached a quiet spot, Shinka dropped her cute act in a heartbeat.
She slammed a hand against the wall beside his ear, eyes sharp and serious.
"What exactly do you know?"
Andrew inhaled the faint fragrance clinging to her. Surprising—Shinka actually had potential for a queenly dominatrix vibe.
This was the first time a girl had wall-slammed him.
Smiling calmly, he shrugged."Well, let's see… Lady MoriSummer, a genuine magician who's lived 1,500 years—no, wait, it was 500 before but suddenly became 1,500—and something about the world being split into black and white—"
"Ahhhh! Stop! Don't say it!"
"So embarrassing! So, so embarrassing!"
"Please, don't read it out loud!"
He hadn't even finished before Shinka collapsed, covering her ears and rolling on the floor, groaning in mortification.
After a good while, she scrambled up, face twisted in misery."I swore I'd forget all that! Why'd you have to bring it back?!"
Andrew spread his hands."Some things aren't so easily erased. Why not accept that version of yourself? Back then, as Mori Summer, weren't you proud?"
"Shut up! I don't want to remember! Listen, Andrew—you absolutely cannot tell anyone I was a chūnibyō in middle school, acting out that ridiculous Mori Summer persona. If you do…"
"If I do?" he prompted, amused.
Shinka hesitated, then snapped, "…Then I'll curse you to death!"
He chuckled. "So you haven't really changed, huh? Still threatening people with Mori-sama's curses."
"Ahhh! Don't say it! I—I even slipped back into the old tone without realizing… ugh. And that curse—you had to chant it a hundred times for it to work! I thought I'd buried all this forever…"
Her composure shattered. She slammed her hand back against the wall beside him, glaring fiercely even as her words turned pleading.
"Please. Please don't tell anyone."
Andrew couldn't hold back his laughter. She was way too cute.
Unlike Yukinoshita, who was prickly and stubborn, Shinka actually knew when to bend.
"Alright, I won't tell. But how do you plan to thank me, Mori Summer?"
"Eh? I… I…"
Her words broke off into a muffled squeak.
Andrew had kissed her.
Eyes wide, she stared at him in shock.
Sure, she'd guessed his thoughts the day she found that… questionable blow-up doll at his place with her likeness. But she'd never expected him to be so direct, so bold.
Kissing her. At school.
That was the difference between Andrew and ordinary high school boys.
While others were busy playing the "nice guy," carefully building goodwill and trying to win a girl's heart step by step—
Andrew skipped the steps. Straight to the lips.
And in doing so, he made the innocent, flustered girl feel his overwhelming passion.
That was how a devil operated.
And honestly—she'd wall-slammed him first.
Who doesn't kiss during a wall slam?
If she wasn't going to do it, he would.
Andrew loved the pose, loved the moment. Absolutely perfect.
"..."
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________