Satania, now thinking clearly, fixed Hayashi Maki with a burning gaze.
"I understand, Great Demon-senpai. I'll keep working hard and become an SSS-class great demon!"
"Don't call me senpai—we're classmates. Also, my name's Hayashi Maki. Remember it, Satania."
"Eh? We're in the same class?"
Satania stared at him in shock—no wonder he looked familiar.
Hayashi Maki looked at her, speechless.
"You've been at school for days and still can't remember your own classmates' names and faces?"
Satania's expression stiffened. She couldn't exactly admit she'd been getting the cold shoulder. That would be a disgrace to a demon. So she struck a pose she thought was cool and declared proudly:
"Mere foolish humans will soon be trampled underfoot by Kurumizawa Satanichia McDowell-sama, the great demon. They will submit to me, so there's no need to remember their names!"
Hayashi Maki could only wonder who the real fool was.
Seeing how blissfully unaware she was, he struck while the iron was hot:
"In that case, do you want to control Hellfire like I do and become a great demon? Even angels can't detect my identity—so don't spread it around. I'm a great demon infiltrating the angels."
Satania looked at him with open adoration.
"As expected of the legendary SSS-class senpai—planning to infiltrate the angels and make them submit. That's truly the work of a super great demon!"
"How can Satania become an SSS-class great demon like you?"
Her eyes sparkled as she looked up at him.
Cheating a ditz wasn't nice—but she was such a cute little demon.
Hayashi Maki smiled. "Simple. Keep training and challenge yourself—again and again."
"Now, let's start with some preliminary practice."
"Eh? Preliminary practice—how do we do that?"
Satania blurted it out, full of expectation.
Hayashi Maki raised a brow and opened his arms.
"The thing we just did. It consolidates your aptitude and speeds up great-demon training."
"Th-that… that thing?" Satania's face went crimson; she glanced at his lips, steam practically rising from her head. "But that's a contract ceremony… something only people who are getting married do."
Oh? She knew about marriage?
Hayashi Maki was a little surprised, but it didn't change his resolve to rope in the little demon.
"No, that's only a preliminary pact. Marriage is a different ritual. If you don't want to train, forget it—just stick to your current pace for a few thousand years and maybe you'll see results."
"A few… thousand years?"
Her face went bone-white. She couldn't wait that long. Seeing Hayashi Maki about to leave, she grabbed his sleeve in a panic.
"W-wait, Hayashi Maki-senpai—please teach me! I want to become a great demon!"
"Alright—since you insist."
Wearing the look of someone granting a favor, he cupped her small face and slowly leaned in, covering her soft lips with his—no hesitation.
"Don't faint, or it's all for nothing."
At that, Satania fought off the dizzy spell, clutching his lapels with anxious hands. Eyes half-closed, she peeked at his expression, trying to follow his lead.
What a strange feeling—shy, but kind of wonderful.
Mm… was that human girl in Hayashi Maki-senpai's arms feeling this too?
Only when class time was looming did Hayashi Maki let go of the now-boneless Satania.
"Good. You held out. I hereby declare you officially possess the potential to be an S-class demon. But to reach SS, or even SSS, you'll need to work hard."
"Yes, senpai! I'll train as a demon diligently!"
Brimming with energy, she answered—then her eyes drifted to his lips and her cheeks reddened again. Something felt off, but she couldn't put a finger on it. And Hayashi Maki's identity made her trust him instinctively. Hellfire's heat didn't lie; it was the protective flame near the forbidden grounds at the Netherworld Academy. Ordinary demons who entered would be burned to ash.
It would never occur to Satania that Hayashi Maki, a shameless kissing fiend, just wanted to cop a feel. Still, he wasn't lying about Hellfire. With his mana seed someday, Satania's potential would climb higher.
He patted her head, amused by her bashful look.
"Come on—back to class."
"Y-yes, senpai!"
"Call me Hayashi Maki. And don't expose me in front of angels."
"Mm-hmm! Satania understands!"
Back at his seat, Hayashi Maki still felt unsated. The flavors of the second miss and of Satania—perfect. He loved pure, cute girls most of all.
Revealing his demon identity was also a way to get closer to Satania and Vignette. They were demons—fundamentally different from humans—and when their human-world trials ended, they'd return to the Netherworld. To get close, he first had to make their statuses equal—or higher than ordinary demons. Letting Satania assume he was SSS-class wasn't wrong; he'd sit atop the demon throne sooner or later.
At her own desk, Satania shot Vignette a guilty glance—then a smug one. As a fellow demon, she now had S-class potential and a powerful senpai guiding her. Becoming a great demon would be a matter of time. Vignette, meanwhile, still had to grind her training alone. The comparison filled Satania with a sense of superiority.
Vignette just looked a bit helpless and let it go. That was how Satania was, and she'd basically given up trying to "help." The girl was thick-skinned enough not to need it.
Of course, if something really happened, Vignette would step in without hesitation. For now, they'd both have to adapt to the human world—no casually using demonic power, no showing horns. Control was a must; hurt an innocent by accident and you'd be sent home.
Satania, though, was delighted. Her phone now had one more contact besides her parents: Hayashi Maki. You could even call him her first friend—and a friend she'd kissed. Thinking that word made her cheeks flare again as memories of what happened drifted back.
Nope. Can't think about it. Too embarrassing!
Maybe that embarrassment was something every great demon had to endure?
Kurumizawa Satanichia McDowell would work hard—because her dream was to become a great demon and make a splash in the Netherworld.
Just imagining everyone respectfully calling her "Satania-sama" felt amazing. If only she could become a great demon right now.