Option B: taking control and dominating her would be easy. She was practically offering herself up on a platter, driven by a fear of being left behind, of being insufficient compared to the supernatural craziness consuming his life.
It was the same dynamic she'd had with Kenji: make herself useful, make herself a trophy, and maybe he won't look away.
"She doesn't need a master," Akira thought, the realisation hitting him with the clarity of a bell chime. "She's been treated like an accessory her whole high school life. She doesn't want to be possessed, Ai. She wants to be seen."
"To be accepted as an equal, despite the power gap?" Ai's voice was unusually soft in his mind. "A dangerous path for a Demon Lord, but perhaps the only one that will truly heal her."
"I'm not a Demon Lord to her," Akira corrected silently. "I'm just the guy who promised she wouldn't be alone."
He made his decision.
[OPTION A SELECTED: THE GENTLE LOVER]
