Seemingly ages later, Hayashi Maki reluctantly fastened Yukinoshita Yukino's buttons and, with practiced hands, retied her bow.
Yukino covered her cheeks and leaned into his chest, too mortified to look up. Biting her lip, eyes misting over, she had no idea what to say.
If she snapped at him, he might get even bolder and bully her more.
If she called him shameless or a pervert, he'd just say, "Thanks for the compliment—Yukino-chan understands me better. I'm touched."
There was simply no dealing with him.
Seeing the aggrieved look and tear-bright eyes of the second miss, Hayashi Maki knew he'd gone too far. He leaned to her ear. "Hey, Yukino-chan… I was actually helping you."
She dropped her hands from her face and fixed those dewy blue eyes on him—pure disdain.
He straightened his face. "And what's with that look? And those tears about to fall—what are they supposed to mean? You think that expression will solve anything?"
"Even if you cry, I'm not letting go. I'm going to hold you."
Yukino flushed, grabbed his arm, and bit down—hard. "Drop dead, you pervert! Bullying me and saying that— you're the worst! Mmph!"
"Hiss—easy! You're going to make me bleed out. Just wait till Haruno scolds you—hey, why are you biting harder?"
"Ow, ow—Second Heiress is murdering her husband!"
"Ptui! You're not my 'husband.' Don't talk nonsense!" She let go, then squirmed to get out of his arms. The nerve—taking advantage and then playing innocent—she really wanted to lay into him.
"Okay, okay, I'll stop. Don't struggle, Yukino-chan—you know what happens if you do."
Hearing the rasp in his voice and feeling his body's "change," she froze. "Perverted demon," she muttered, cheeks burning hotter.
Smirking, he brushed a kiss on her cheek before continuing, "I wasn't wrong—I am helping you. Don't you want to become like Haruno?"
"No." She answered tough, even as her body softened.
But… would it really work? If she let him do those bad things, could she really "grow" like her sister?
"Well, I want you cuter and more irresistible. You're already adorable, sure—but it's like money: who complains about having more? You don't mind getting even better—maybe even surpassing Haruno—right?"
"Shut up. I don't care what you say—I won't believe you, liar!"
She turned away, refusing to look at him. She still couldn't get over how he'd tricked her that night—no way she was forgiving that so easily.
"You just want to satisfy your own dirty desires. Don't act like I'm the one benefiting."
Bull's-eye. Hayashi Maki had nothing to rebut; that was him—bullying her to sate himself. Thick-skinned as ever, he simply ignored it. His warm breath fell on her white throat again.
"Yeah, I'm the worst. You're getting used to it, aren't you? You're starting to understand me."
Her heart jumped at his closeness; she shot a hand up to block his mouth. He lifted a brow, eased her hand aside, and laced his fingers with her cool, soft ones.
"What—no?"
Head down, she tugged twice, then let him hold on. Swallowing her shame, she mustered the courage to look up at the wicked demon. "I'm hungry. I haven't even eaten my bento."
"Ah—sorry, sorry. The moment I see you, I forget lunch."
"Fine. I'll let you off—for now. Let's eat."
Then came the part that made her die of embarrassment: Hayashi Maki insisted on hand-feeding her—"returning the favor," he said. She'd fed him yesterday; today was his turn. With no way to fight him on it, Yukino shut her eyes and took tiny bites from his chopsticks.
In the corner, the ditzy little demon Satania's knees were going weak, face bright red—overstimulated. She'd never seen anything like this. And if kissing weren't enough, now they were hand-feeding each other…
Stuffed with PDA, she was hit by the sour thought that she still had no friends and always ate alone at noon, hiding in some empty corner. Vignette had come from the Netherworld with her, sure, but they were only classmates. In the end, the great demon lord Satania was still… alone.
Before long, they finished eating.
Yukino hesitated. "Um… I'm going to wash the bento box."
Hayashi Maki arched a brow. "Is my name 'um' now?"
She pouted. "Perverted demon, I'm going to wash the—mmph!"
Naturally, calling him that earned her another kiss. This time was hotter; she felt like she might suffocate. After "punishing" her, he stared at her flushed face. "Yukino-chan, I'll give you one more try. What do you call me?"
Clutching his shirt, she grit her teeth and finally gave in. "M-Maki-kun… is that okay?"
"Heh, that's better. From now on, that—or Hayashi Maki. Call me 'perverted demon' again and I'll punish you like just now."
She turned away and muttered, "But you are a shameless, lecherous perverted demon."
Catching his half-smile, she slapped a hand over her mouth and shut up.
Her nervous, palm-to-lips "don't you dare" look made him chuckle. He let the grumble slide, stroked her hair, and said, "That's right. Maki-kun or Hayashi Maki works."
"Actually, controlling me is easy. Just be good and make me happy, and I won't bully you."
Yukino rolled her eyes. As if. This lech would still bully her.
A beat later, he added, "Otherwise, I'll go bully your sister."
Her eyes snapped wide, glaring daggers. "You're not bullying my sister!"
"Then I won't bully Haruno—I'll bully you. Deal?"
"…"
She turned away again, refusing to dignify that with a reply. Either way, she lost.