Aside from Super Regeneration evolving into Super Rebirth, Hayashi Maki's wish-granting authority also changed.
First, he no longer had to go out looking for requests. People with strong desires who also "qualified" would have their wishes delivered to him, and he could choose to respond—or ignore them. It all depended on his mood.
And what counted as "qualified"? Obviously, they had to be beautiful girls.
Hayashi Maki was a looks-driven guy, so his standards for followers were high; he wasn't about to contract with just anyone. That "answering prayers" power still felt strange to him, though. Normally, that's something a god would have, right? He was a demon. How did he end up with it?
He couldn't figure it out, so he stopped trying. It benefited him anyway.
…
Because Gabriel took the day off, Vignette got worried. She called, and Gabriel said she was fine—just needed some rest. Only then did Vignette relax and let it go. She was the type to fuss over others. A demon, yet doing the kind of things only angels do.
When Hayashi Maki got off the train near school that morning, he even saw Vignette helping an elderly lady across the street. All he could do was marvel at how "wholesome" this little demon was.
As for the other ditzy demon, Satania kept up her "great demon" routine. By "great demon," she mostly meant breaking petty rules. For example, she deliberately wore her uniform wrong into school—only to get hauled aside and lectured by a pretty, twin-tailed disciplinary officer. In the end, Satania had to fix her uniform before she was allowed in.
For all her talk, she'd never actually pulled a prank on anyone—at least in the original story she only ever targeted the angel Gabriel.
By lunchtime, after doing a whole list of "great demon" things, the ditzy demon girl once again snuck off to a corner to eat alone. She craved friends, but everyone seemed to treat her like a weirdo—a chuunibyou who never graduated. Talking to someone like that felt awkward, so the class silently kept their distance.
Nibutani Shinka would occasionally look at Satania with sympathy—she'd been chuunibyou herself, after all. Even though she'd "graduated," seeing someone else act like that still made her die of second-hand embarrassment.
Thinking of chuunibyou made Shinka steal a glance at Hayashi Maki, who was chatting with Kato Megumi.
She hadn't forgotten his threats—or the way he'd forced that kiss. So… he wasn't going to do anything else? They'd kissed, after all. If he really liked her, shouldn't he be showing some initiative?
But Hayashi Maki neither declared any feelings nor pursued her. He acted like always. She'd even noticed him trading looks with Shiina Mahiru earlier, which left Shinka feeling depressed.
Tch. Sure, Shiina-san was cute—a total angel—but Mori-sama wasn't exactly chopped liver either! What on earth was he thinking?
Shinka started spiraling, forgetting entirely that she ought to be mad about the forced kiss. Being handsome really did have its perks. For all Hayashi Maki's shamelessness—stealing a kiss and threatening her with her chuunibyou past—he was easygoing in person and good-looking. Now that she'd started to care, a tender, confused feeling had taken root.
A girl's lips aren't something you just take. And for Shinka—who'd once been Mori Summer the "mage"—a kiss was a vow, something to give only to the one who'd be with her for life. Yet that sacred vow had been tossed away—stolen by a man. How could she not care? She cared a lot.
Meanwhile, he acted like nothing had happened—chatting with Kato-san, flirting now and then, even letting his eyes roam over other pretty girls. What did he think her kiss was? Couldn't he at least show he cared—say a few kind words?
Hayashi Maki had no idea Shinka was already fretting over him—and halfway "self-conquering." At that moment he'd gone up to the rooftop, quietly waiting for Yukinoshita Yukino to arrive.
After a few minutes, Yukinoshita's Second Heiress finally appeared, elegant and lovely. Her cheeks were pink; she was slightly out of breath. Stairs still took it out of her a bit. Stamina was the one thing she had no confidence in. She could pick up most fields quickly and do well, but she couldn't keep going for long. Poor stamina… and, well, poor "growth," too.
Hayashi Maki flicked a glance at her chest and smirked. Catching the hint of wickedness in his smile, Yukino's face grew even hotter. She didn't know what was wrong with her. She should be avoiding this scoundrel. But after their text spat—and his "threat" to meet him at lunch on the rooftop—she found she couldn't refuse. Or maybe she didn't want to? By the time she thought it through, she was already there.
He didn't waste words. He patted his thigh and raised an eyebrow. "Come here, Yukino-chan."
She bit her lip, fidgeted a moment, then slowly walked over. After straightening her skirt, she fought down the strange feeling in her chest and eased herself onto his lap. Heat bloomed in her belly as he slipped his arms around her waist and drew her in.
Breathing in her scent and feeling how soft she was, Hayashi Maki noticed she seemed much more natural than last time. Still nervous, but a different kind of nervous; even her body felt softer somehow. Was she starting to tacitly accept his bad behavior?
With a Yukino this obedient in his arms, Hayashi Maki's thoughts drifted. A man holding a cute girl—how could he feel nothing?
Yukino felt the change at once. Blushing furiously, she glared up at him. "Perverted demon—move your… that."
He coughed twice and hugged her tighter. "I can't 'move' it. It's a natural reaction—and it's your fault for being too cute. Besides, it's not the first time. You should be used to it."
She turned her head, cheeks flaming. "That's not something I'll ever get used to."
"I think you will. Look at me, Yukino-chan."
At those familiar words, she flashed back to the night he'd tricked her—he'd made that same shameless demand that she look at him the whole time. "Mmph!" On reflex she turned her head—and he kissed her.
Blushing, she pushed, and when that failed, she simply clutched his lapels and let it happen.
While they were making out, Satania—hiding in a corner—stared, practically steaming from the head. "T-this is outrageous! Kissing in secret at school? That's against the rules! This is SSS-class Great Demon behavior!"
Back in the Netherworld school, early romance was forbidden, so in Satania's eyes a kiss was basically SSS-class demon conduct. She'd come to the rooftop looking for a quiet place to eat and cry—but stumbled into this blazing scene instead. The boy even looked familiar.
Who was he again?
The ditz had never bothered to learn her classmates' names. And with no friends, there was no one to share intel with her.
~~~
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