"Human, are you looking down on me?"
"Even if I'm badly hurt, I still have enough strength to chew you into pieces!"
The Leech Devil snarled in fury, reaching out to grab her.
Ryo quietly raised her hand.
She pressed her thumb, middle finger, and ring finger together and extended them, letting the other two fingers stick up.
It looked a little like an "OK" gesture.
Through the ring formed by her fingers, the Leech Devil's body was framed as if it were part of a child's pretend photo game.
Then Ryo let out a short, clipped syllable.
"Khn."
With a sudden pop, a gigantic fox head burst up from the smooth pavement.
This was no ordinary fox. Its golden eyes were ringed with strange circular markings, and dozens of other eyes were scattered across its head.
The fox opened its mouth wide and bit down hard.
The Leech Devil was torn apart instantly and swallowed whole.
A moment later, a mature, airy female voice spoke.
"This one tastes awful. All blood and no flavor."
"What can I do about it?" Ryo replied. "I'm just an ordinary, harmless high school girl. If I didn't summon you to help, I'd have been eaten in seconds."
"Do as you like. A contract is a contract. I am just complaining." The fox raised its brows slightly.
Ryo frowned and asked, "Summoning you comes with a price, doesn't it?"
"I would never summon you unless I had to. I've heard you devils are all very cruel."
"I only learned about you yesterday. I'm not even sure I can trust you."
"But just now… there was no other choice."
Seeing a devil appear was terrifying for her.
It was only her naturally cold, expressionless face that made her look calm.
The fox snorted. "You should thank your great-great-great-grandfather."
"Back then, I was badly wounded and starving. That man offered me his wife."
"In the heat of the moment, I agreed to his terms: to serve the Yamada family for a thousand years. Thanks to that, I am still stuck helping you."
"If it were anyone else, I would have taken parts of their body by now. Eyes, limbs, skin… you name it."
Thank someone who gave his family to a devil?
Yes, the descendants did benefit from it.
Ryo's feelings were tangled. She simply said, "I only found out yesterday that my ancestors were devil hunters. I had never heard anything about it before."
"That's because devils haven't shown themselves for so long. You humans have already forgotten us," the fox said.
"Either way, thank you, Fox," Ryo replied.
The fox snorted again, clearly displeased with such a casual thanks, but had no choice in the matter.
It sank back underground, vanishing without a trace.
Ryo still felt shaken by what had just happened, but she quickly composed herself and headed for home.
A too-cool-for-friends high school band girl, able to summon the Fox Devil?
Anyone would think it was a joke.
Ryo decided it was best no one knew about the devils.
Especially the bandmates, Bocchi and Nijika.
The next day, Hitori Gotoh arrived at school as usual.
This time, she told herself, I have to get Kita into the band.
She kept psyching herself up. She had promised the band members, so she had to follow through.
During lunch break, Hitori went to Kita's class and peeked in through the doorway.
But Kita, with her sharp instincts, turned and looked straight at her.
Their eyes met without warning.
Hitori froze instantly, completely at a loss for words.
"Do you need something?" Kita spoke first.
"A-a-a… I… ba… pig…"
What she meant to say was, My band needs a vocalist.
A full sentence in her head had crumbled into useless fragments.
"What?" Kita blinked.
"N-nothing, sorry for bothering you!"
Hitori spun around and bolted.
Kita looked puzzled. "What was that about…"
Suddenly, the War Devil's figure appeared beside her and said, "Kita, go after her."
"Why?" Kita asked. "If she really needs me, she'll come back, right?"
"Because that girl smells of a devil."
"What?!"
"It's faint, but it's there. I can smell it."
"No way. Does that mean every pink-haired person in this school is tied to a devil?"
"Go after her and find out. I am curious about her."
"Alright, alright…"
Kita could not refuse the entity controlling her life, so she chased after Hitori.
Hitori was in full-on escape mode, the picture of panic.
She ran headlong… and slammed right into someone.
"Sorry!" she blurted.
"I'm fine, Bocchi-chan…"
That familiar voice made Hitori freeze.
It was Akane, the girl she had not spoken to in two days.
When Akane met her eyes, her cheeks turned red and she looked away as if she had been caught stealing.
She's acting even more socially anxious than me…
But I thought Akane was good at talking to people.
Or… is she only like this when it's me?
"Um, so!" Akane suddenly raised her voice. "At lunch today… would you like to eat with me?"
"I… guess that's fine…"
Akane's eyes lit up instantly. "Great, then—"
Before she could finish, a cheerful voice called from behind Hitori.
"You're Gotoh from Class 1, right?"
Hitori jumped. "Yes, that's me!"
She turned to see Kita catching up.
"You wanted to talk to me just now, didn't you?" the red-haired girl said with a bright smile.
"Yes… well…"
Hitori swallowed hard. This time, she did not want to run.
Kita had come right to her. If she didn't speak now, then when?
"I… play in a band," Hitori said awkwardly.
"Oh, really? And then?"
"Uh…"
She faltered again, still struggling to string her words together.
Akane's expression darkened.
"Hey, do you have any manners? I was talking to Bocchi-chan first!"
"Huh?" Kita turned to her. "I'm talking to Gotoh about something important. Please don't interrupt."
"That doesn't matter. Bocchi-chan is coming to lunch with me."
"No, it does matter. I want to hear more about the band."
"Bocchi-chan, let's go."
"Gotoh, let's finish our conversation."
Both girls turned toward Hitori, their eyes locking onto her.
Hitori panicked.
How am I supposed to deal with this?