"Do you believe in the existence of demons?"
In the classroom at midday, an extremely abrupt voice softly sounded, replacing the silence that had permeated the air just a few minutes ago with a somewhat subtle atmosphere.
This was a classroom without any special facilities, where even the desks and chairs had been cleared to the sides, revealing a spacious area.
In the center of this classroom, a boy and a girl sat opposite each other.
The girl possessed a refined appearance, delicate features, skin so fair it was almost translucent, and long black hair reaching past her shoulders, making her cutely irresistible.
Her beauty was coldly unapproachable, carrying an inherent sense of mystery, giving off an aloof impression. She wore a black uniform with a red bow tie and a white shirt, paired with a plaid pleated skirt and black thigh-high socks with white trim, and red ribbon bows tied on either side of her hair. Although it was a school uniform, her overall attire was still eye-catching.
But at this moment, the girl, with a book resting open on her lap, was looking at the boy in front of her with an expression that suggested she thought he was an idiot.
The boy was also someone who couldn't help but draw attention. He had a handsome appearance and deep eyes. He wore the same male uniform as the girl, his slender physique fully displayed. One could vaguely glimpse his collarbone and muscles inadvertently revealed at his collar and sleeves, exuding an invisible charm that would likely make many girls with insufficient self-control unconsciously swallow.
Yet, it was this boy, capable of making many girls' hearts flutter, who uttered words that made the girl instantly believe he was making fun of her.
"Are you joking with me, Leo Erigid?"
The girl said this unceremoniously. Although she addressed him as "senior," there was no respect in her tone.
Leo, the boy she addressed, didn't mind.
"Saying that means you completely disbelieve in the existence of demons, right?"
Leo seemed to enjoy this inexplicable conversation, a hint of a smile appearing in his eyes, making his expression look a little more playful.
"May I hear your reason, Yukinoshita Yukino?"
Leo's words seemed to make Yukinoshita Yukino even more certain that he was teasing her, and her expression visibly grew colder.
"I have no interest in engaging in such a meaningless discussion with you, senior. If your purpose in coming to the Service Club is to chat about such unrealistic topics, then please don't waste my time."
Yukinoshita Yukino's merciless sharp tongue was met only with Leo's noncommittal attitude.
"Meaningless? Unrealistic? Wasting time?" Leo smiled and said, "As the rumors say, Yukinoshita is indeed very arrogant."
Yukinoshita Yukino's expression was no longer just cold; it was genuinely icy and annoyed.
"May I interpret that as malicious slander?"
Yukinoshita Yukino showed no regard for the fact that the person before her was her senior, her words sharp and incisive.
"I'm merely stating a fact." Leo folded his arms, crossed his legs, and looked at the beautiful junior in front of him, saying leisurely, "You believe the topic I raised is meaningless and unrealistic. This itself tells others that you think this topic doesn't even need to be started or continued. Even if you don't say it directly, it's equivalent to stating your viewpoint, which is that you deny the matter without even needing to think about it."
"This is no longer a matter of firmly believing in your own ideas; it's your subconscious, instinctive belief that this topic has no meaning for discussion."
"Isn't such unilateral denial, rejection, and exclusion a manifestation of arrogance?"
Yukinoshita Yukino's beautiful brows immediately furrowed deeply.
"That's sophistry," Yukinoshita Yukino said with a cold attitude. "Anyone who heard what you just said would react the same way I did."
"See, that's your arrogance." Leo's attitude also became unceremonious, just like Yukinoshita Yukino's. He said, "You're not everyone else. Why do you think everyone would be like you?"
"Have you asked for others' opinions? Heard others' thoughts? Seen others display this attitude?"
"No, right? If not, how dare you represent others? Isn't it because you believe you are correct in this situation no matter what?"
"Placing yourself in the correct position from the start, I even think you are more arrogant than I imagined, Yukinoshita."
Yukinoshita Yukino's hand holding the book unconsciously tightened. Finally, as if unable to bear it any longer, she forcefully closed the book and, like Leo, folded her arms and crossed her legs.
"If you're saying these things to get my attention, then congratulations, you've succeeded." Yukinoshita Yukino said coldly, "This is the Service Club, a club founded to extend a helping hand to those in need. If you, senior, are troubled by having no one to discuss such meaning—such topics with, and that's why you came here, then I'll tentatively listen to what you have to say."
"But I must warn you first, Leo Erigid, senior. Although the Service Club I founded accepts requests to solve others' difficulties, if someone tries to use this to deliberately approach me to achieve some ulterior motive, I will not let it go."
"Please keep that in mind."
Upon hearing this, Leo's gaze towards Yukinoshita Yukino became strange.
Then, he smiled.
His smile was very meaningful.
"I say, Yukinoshita, you wouldn't think I'm trying to pursue you, wanting to date you, and that's why I deliberately brought up such a topic to get your attention, would you?"
Leo's smiling face, when seen by other girls, would probably appear very radiant and sunny, wouldn't it?
But when that smile fell into Yukinoshita Yukino's eyes, she only found it dazzling.
"Are you trying to say I'm being presumptuous?" Yukinoshita Yukino said unhappily, "But your actions only make me think of such things."
Leo shook his head, sighing with a smile as he did so.
"Indeed, it's quite normal for an arrogant person who firmly believes their own ideas are correct and unilaterally denies others' to have such thoughts, especially when that person is a woman who indeed has the capital to think that way."
Saying this, Leo stood up.
"It seems there's no need to continue chatting today. I apologize for wasting your time, Yukinoshita junior."
Leaving these words, Leo, while Yukinoshita Yukino was still in a daze, turned and left without hesitation.
"Wait!" Yukinoshita Yukino also stood up, her expression no longer describable as merely unhappy; she was genuinely angry. She said, "What do you mean by this? Are you treating me like an idiot?"
"You're being a bit emotional, Yukinoshita." Leo stopped, turned around, and met Yukinoshita Yukino's indignant gaze, smiling as he said, "Don't misunderstand, it's just the literal meaning of the words."
"While you haven't yet seen the truth of this world, and still firmly believe in the concepts fostered by the education you've received over these seventeen years, continuing to chat would only be futile."
"Therefore, I've decided to wait. We can discuss our topic today after you encounter something that truly shatters everything you've always believed in."
After saying these unhurried words, Leo took out a palm-sized piece of paper and placed it on a nearby desk.
"Consider this the payment for our conversation today. Keep it with you; I believe it will help you. Of course, you can also throw it away, and then our connection will be completely severed, keeping you away from someone like me with ulterior motives."
Leo raised his eyelids, looking at Yukinoshita Yukino with a gaze full of profound meaning for the first time.
"Finally, let me correct one more thought of yours, Yukinoshita junior."
"When a demon sets its sights on you, its purpose will never be to fall in love with you, but to make you sell your soul."
"Please keep that in mind."
Returning the girl's admonition verbatim, Leo then unhesitatingly pulled open the classroom door and exited the Service Club's activity room.
"What was that guy about?"
Yukinoshita Yukino, watching Leo leave, was trembling with anger.
Whether she kept his words in mind was one thing, but she believed it was an absolute provocation.
If not for the Yukinoshita Family's upbringing preventing her from doing anything too embarrassing, she would have chased after him right now and used her usual sharp tongue to make him socially withdraw on the spot.
With great difficulty, Yukinoshita Yukino finally calmed the anger in her chest. She walked forward and picked up the paper on the desk.
It wasn't ordinary paper, but rather some kind of vintage parchment, on which a bright red Magic Array was drawn, making it look somewhat eerie.
Seeing this, Yukinoshita Yukino was once again convinced.
Leo Erigid, this Sobu High School third-year senior, if he wasn't making fun of her or deliberately finding excuses to approach her, then he was definitely a pitiful male who had detached from reality and was hopelessly lost in fantasy.
And a demon's purpose would absolutely not be to fall in love with her?
Even if she went blind and jumped out of this activity room's window, she would absolutely not fall in love with such a self-proclaimed demon!
...At this moment, Leo, who had angered the second young lady of the Yukinoshita Family to the point of making a "solemn vow," was walking up the stairs to the rooftop.
Along the way, many people greeted him, and he smiled and returned each greeting, completely devoid of the "unruly" demeanor he displayed in front of Yukinoshita Yukino.
Upon reaching the rooftop, Leo scanned his surroundings, found no one else around, and then stretched.
"Snap!"
The next second, a pair of completely black, bat-like wings suddenly unfurled from Leo's back.
With a gentle flap of his wings, Leo flew into the sky.
Although he had no horns or tail, his posture indeed resembled that of a demon...