Over on Hayashi Maki's side, he and the angel Mahiru were all lovey-dovey and happy.
Cut to Yukinoshita Yukino.
She couldn't sleep.
She tossed and turned, wide awake—after being "bullied" by a certain someone, kissed and hugged and all that, and she'd even been the one to initiate it at first. She'd wanted to trade herself for her sister's freedom. But what happened afterward caught her completely off guard.
Now that she'd cooled down, Yukino started reflecting on herself.
First: because Hayashi Maki is a "demon," she assumed he was the kind of mind-warping figure you read about in fairy tales, and she misunderstood him—thinking he'd used some strange trick to cloud her sister's mind and rob her of freedom. That was wrong. A daughter of the Yukinoshita family must not repay kindness with resentment.
Second: that jerk did have a point. When she was bedridden and paralyzed, the so-called "angel" never answered her expectations, nor did it appear to help her sister, who cried herself to sleep with worry day after day. Instead, it was this "demon" who gave her sister hope—and gave her a reason to keep living. He cured her. That's a debt as big as the sky. Yet she jumped to the conclusion that he was some super-villain—like a fairy-tale demon who brings misfortune—and thought of making her sister dissolve the contract. That, too, was wrong. When you're wrong, you admit it.
Yukino isn't the type who can't accept losing or can't face her own mistakes.
At that thought, she finally felt a little lighter. She'd been so worried for her sister that her heart was a mess. Hiding under the bed earlier, then hearing those shameful sounds of that person "bullying" her sister—it was only natural she panicked and blurted out irrational things. Now that she was calm, she decided she'd apologize to Hayashi Maki tomorrow. If you're in the wrong, you must apologize.
But, fair's fair—did he do nothing wrong?
That jerk tricked a girl like her into thinking that if she offered herself, he'd dissolve the contract. Bold move. He didn't hold back at all—he just went straight in and kissed her. Later he even called her an idiot, said she was a "foolish beauty," looked down on her, and claimed it was "instruction," making her learn that kind of knowledge. After that, he made her look unbelievably humiliated and embarrassed.
On the matter of being deceived and disgraced—she absolutely would not forgive him easily!
Last point: she still needed to find a way to restrain his power. Otherwise, if he keeps getting bolder, what if he bullies her sister even worse later on? Yukino couldn't just sit and wait. And since he wasn't the fairy-tale type of demon who toys with people's hearts and brings misfortune, he needed to be properly guided, so he wouldn't become someone who harms humanity or the world.
Having figured that out, Yukino suddenly had a goal—and felt the weight of a great responsibility on her shoulders.
…
The next morning, dark circles under her eyes, Yukino made breakfast and packed lunches, left a portion for her sister, and headed to school. Her sister had had such a rough night—bullied by that person—there was no way she could get up early to cook, so Yukino would do it.
At the gate of Hakuo Academy, Yukino waited quietly. She didn't know Hayashi Maki's class, so she planned to lie in wait for him here.
Suddenly, a petite girl in a kimono caught her eye. The girl had long, deep-blue hair and a delicate, slightly airheaded face. She walked into campus with a very calm expression.
Yukino was puzzled. Was that girl also a student here? But wearing a kimono to class—wasn't that against school rules?
What Yukino didn't know was that the person she was looking for—the one who could restrain a demon's power—was right in front of her. This petite, moe beauty was no ordinary person: she was Saginomiya Isumi, heir to the Saginomiya family, known as the "Miko of Light." Saginomiya Isumi possessed top-tier spiritual power in this world—the kind of excellent familiar even Hayashi Maki would covet.
Seeing no one paying her any mind, Isumi quickened her pace toward her classroom. She'd wanted to come to school for a long time but always ended up getting lost. As for the uniform? That thing's drafty—doesn't anyone feel ashamed wearing it? She refused.
Yukino withdrew her curious gaze and kept staking out the gate. Students passing by couldn't help sneaking looks at her; whenever her icy stare swept over them, they dropped their heads, looked away, and hurried off. Too cold! Yukino's gaze was like millennia-old ice—one glance and you'd get frostbite. To avoid getting snapped at, everyone wisely chose to steer clear.
Yukino didn't mind the peace and quiet. Hmph—boys who won't even look at her aren't a threat and not worth paying attention to. But that guy…! Remembering that scumbag threatening her yesterday—making her "learn that sort of knowledge" while looking him in the eye—her cheeks burned. Thinking of yesterday's humiliation made her feel wronged all over again. Sure, she'd been in the wrong—but he really was bad!
After a long wait, she finally spotted him. Seeing him walking one behind the other with Shiina Mahiru, Yukino's cold gaze fell on Hayashi Maki like a knife. In Yukino's view, this guy trailing behind Mahiru was obviously up to no good—he must be planning to make a move on her!
So as he came near, she grabbed his arm and dragged him toward a quiet spot. "Come with me, you perv!"
Hayashi Maki's mouth twitched. Fine, suddenly dragging him off was one thing—but calling him a perv? Rude much? Second Heiress-san clearly needed to be taken down a peg.
Once they reached a deserted place, Yukino stopped. She let go of his arm with a look of distaste and glared coldly at him.
Hayashi Maki raised a brow and smiled. "What's this, Second Heiress-san—changed your mind? Want to form a contract with me?"
"Hah. Keep dreaming."
She shot back with a sneer, looking at him like he was something filthy.
Hayashi Maki shrugged and turned to leave. "If you just called me out here for that, I'm leaving. No point wasting words."
"Wait! Don't go—I have something to say."
Yukino quickly stopped him. Hayashi Maki turned back, puzzled. "What is it? If it's just to question me, I'm not listening. That'll tick me off—and then I'll want to bully someone."
At that, Yukino instinctively took two steps back, cheeks flushing. She bit her lip, bent at the waist, and bowed deeply. "I'm sorry."
"Eh? Yukino, what are you—?"
"I'm apologizing for my behavior yesterday. I prejudged you. That was my fault." She bowed again. "And—thank you. Thank you for curing me. Thank you for answering my sister's wish."
"Uh… this…"
Her move left Hayashi Maki at a loss. From her eyes a moment ago, he'd thought she hated his guts. He never expected her to apologize so earnestly and thank him for his kindness.
Facing his odd look, Yukino felt embarrassed, but her pride wouldn't let her keep making mistakes. So she apologized—and thanked him—seriously.
After a short silence, Hayashi Maki sighed. "No need for thanks. For me, it was a win-win trade. Haruno's wish came true, you got your health back, and I got Haruno. No loss at all."
Hearing that, Yukino couldn't help glaring through gritted teeth. "I won't keep doubling down on a mistake, so apologizing was the right thing to do. But… don't you have anything to say? In the end, the reason I doubted your character is largely on you."
When he treated her, he'd stolen her first kiss—with tongue, no less. With behavior like that, how couldn't she misunderstand? Or maybe it wasn't a misunderstanding—maybe he really was a lech.
Her words made Hayashi Maki feel a twinge of guilt, but he quickly steadied himself. He wasn't wrong—so why feel guilty?
He stepped closer with a smile and said in a low voice, "Fine, I admit I'm no saint. Making you misunderstand is on me. So—how do you want me to make it up to you?"
That answer made Yukino feel better. She snorted and said sternly, "No compensation needed. Just treat my sister well."
"But what if I insist on compensating you?"
He flashed a wicked smile. Yukino got a bad feeling. The heat in his eyes brought back yesterday's mortification in a rush. Blushing, she spun and tried to run.
Too late. Hayashi Maki grabbed her from behind and, lowering his head, pressed his lips to hers. "This is the only way I can compensate you, Yukino-chan."
"Mm—y-you jerk—mmph…!"
Face reddening, Yukino pummeled his chest to no effect. Hayashi Maki held her slender waist and "guided" her like yesterday. Tears welled in Yukino's eyes as her body went weak. Maybe because of yesterday, she squeezed her eyes shut, not daring to meet his. She had no idea what to do—her head was buzzing. Coming to see him had been a mistake. He was awful—a total wolf. In a deserted place like this, of course he'd make a move. But her pride wouldn't let her ignore her own mistake, so she still had to come.
…
After a long while, Hayashi Maki reluctantly let go of Yukino's rosy lips—"Thanks for the treat, my lovely Second Heiress-san," he said with a smile.
Gasping for breath, Yukino finally felt her strength return. Flustered and angry, she shoved him away. "Pervert! How can you do that?"
"Why can't I?" Hayashi Maki shot back.
"You… you already have my sister!"
"So what? I'm a demon. I don't think human marriage law applies to me."
"Th-that…" Yukino found herself lost for words. After a moment, she huffed, "But this is human society. If you keep treating me like this… believe it or not, I'll report you to the authorities."
"Go ahead," Hayashi Maki said without a flicker of panic. Right now he and Haruno's fate were tied together—in fact, you could say her fate was in his hands. No way would Yukino actually report him.
Yukino was out of options. How many times had this happened? She always ended up completely overpowered by this man. She bit her lip, lowered her head, looking dejected. After a moment she looked up at him. "What do you even want? You already have my sister, and you still have your eyes on me. Don't you look down on me? Isn't she better than me?"
Looking at the slightly shaken Second Heiress-san, Hayashi Maki stepped forward and wrapped her in a tight hug. "Demons lie, you know—but contracts don't. I just want a contract with you. Besides, Yukino-chan, don't you think my body's being pretty honest?"
Yukino's body trembled. Demons lie? What did that mean? That she was actually more exceptional? That he valued her more? Don't be ridiculous. She didn't buy it.
"Let me go. Class is starting!"
Fighting down her muddled feelings, she pushed him hard.
"I don't want to—unless you agree to let me kiss you once a day."
"You—shameless! Pervert!"
"Thanks for the compliment."
"Thick-skinned!"
"Only noticing now? I thought you'd figured that out yesterday, Foolish Beauty-san. Your judgment needs work."
"Drop dead!"
"Now that's going too far. I'd hate to die."
Seeing how aggrieved she looked, Hayashi Maki decided not to push it. He darted in for a quick peck on her lips and let go. "All right, I'll stop teasing you. Otherwise, if Haruno finds out I bullied her favorite little sister, she'll be mad. See you, my Yukino-chan."
"I am not yours!"
Yukino shouted at his retreating back, but her cheeks were red to the tips of her ears. Even now, she couldn't make sense of her own feelings. One car accident had altered the course of her life. That scoundrel had high-handedly taken her sister and barged into her world, and—
~~~
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