A few minutes before class.
Reluctantly lifting his head, Hayashi Maki stared, still unsatisfied, at the rosy-cheeked Yukinoshita Yukino in his arms, feeling very pleased.
Yukino panted for breath, her body still a little weak. Seeing that he finally intended to let her go, she quietly exhaled in relief.
But… what shamed Yukino was that, for a split second, she actually felt a little reluctant to have him leave.
She didn't know when it started, but she found herself less and less able to resist this scoundrel of a "demon."
Looking at the adorable Second Heiress, Hayashi Maki's lips curved. He couldn't help gently stroking her silky hair.
"Alright, today's 'task' is done. I'm sure you'll see results soon, Yukino-chan."
"Class is about to start—let's head back."
As he spoke, he picked up the red ribbon bow he'd pulled off and tossed on the bench and retied it at her collar.
Face burning, Yukino said nothing. Slipping from his arms, she quietly straightened her skirt and uniform. Smoothing out the wrinkles, she became once more that dignified, distant flower on the high peak.
"I'm going."
She whispered it, turned, and was about to leave the rooftop for class.
Hayashi Maki suddenly hugged her tightly from behind, brought his lips to her ear, and said:
"Yukino-chan, remember to reach out if you need anything. As long as you want me, I'll always be there."
Then he kissed her cheek.
Yukino pressed her red lips together and didn't reply. Breaking free of his arms, she hurried off.
Only after her figure disappeared did Hayashi Maki leave the rooftop.
He really was bad. By now, he'd made moves on Yukinoshita Yukino more than once. And she seemed to be getting used to it—almost accepting his mischief.
Back at her desk, Yukino touched her burning cheeks, her body once again a little weak. Hand over her chest, she thought of his touch just now, her heart thudding uncontrollably.
There was no doubt: that scoundrel was the first man to be this close to her.
Thinking of the "growth" he talked about, Yukino muttered under her breath:
"Will it really work?"
Naturally, she wanted to grow into a figure as perfect as her sister's. Since childhood, her sister, Yukinoshita Haruno, had been her ideal; Haruno's excellence was beyond question. Though she accepted that and had made peace with the sister who loved to tease her, she still felt a stubborn unwillingness in her heart.
She wanted to become better—maybe even surpass her sister.
"That guy's a demon no matter how you look at it. He shouldn't be lying to me, right?"
Muttering, her face grew even hotter. Even if he wasn't lying, he was definitely taking advantage on purpose. He was that kind of lech.
Thinking of his arm around her and the way he'd leaned to her ear—"I'll always be there"—Yukino couldn't help clicking her tongue.
"I'm not coming to you. Even if something comes up, I'll handle it myself."
She didn't know that every word she muttered had fallen into the ears of the sharp-eared angel, Raphiel. But Raphiel didn't care—she was currently sampling life in the human world. Like Gabriel at the beginning, Raphiel was fascinated by all sorts of human things. Unfortunately, angels were forbidden to casually use miracles to toy with humans. That irritated her a little; school life was starting to feel dull.
"Isn't there anything interesting?"
Raphiel sighed. It had taken graduating second in the angel academy to earn a human-world trial, but these past few days of school were no different from Heaven. Well—there were differences: more to study, most of it useless for angels. In Heaven, you at least learned divine arts—always handy. Down here—what could dealing with humans teach her?
At least for now, Raphiel hadn't met a human who interested her.
The first afternoon period was P.E.—Raphiel's least favorite. Not that she was bad at sports; as an angel, her physical abilities far surpassed humans'. What bothered her was that her bust had grown recently—the bras she'd just bought were already too small. Because of her body, she avoided vigorous movement—afraid a button might pop.
While Yukinoshita Yukino fretted over being too small, the angel Raphiel fretted over being too big.
Unlike Raphiel, who disliked sports, Yukino tried hard in the 100-meter run. Even so, she didn't dare go all-out. Her constitution had always been weaker than her sister's; she had zero confidence in stamina. But during today's test, she felt stronger than before—she even beat her old record.
"So… is that thanks to that guy?"
Thinking of Hayashi Maki, Yukino's face flushed—and she clicked her tongue again. "I'm not thanking you, you perverted demon—always bullying me."
She didn't even want to go to the rooftop tomorrow. Every time he did that to her…
The aforementioned "pervert" was at the window, quietly admiring the girls down on the track. From Class 1-B's vantage point, you could see the field perfectly. When he spotted two fair-skinned, exceptionally well-endowed beauties, Hayashi Maki's eyes lit up.
One had a bow tied behind her hair, like a gentle young lady from a good family. From the holy aura around her, she was probably the angel Raphiel, here on trial with Gabriel. Besides her figure, Raphiel was known for her sly streak—fond of toying with hearts, with a hidden queenly S side.
The other, a cooler silver-haired beauty, if he wasn't mistaken, should be Kujō Mikhailovna Alisa.
So even Yukino's class had two familiar heroines, each doing her own thing. As for Yukino-chan—no surprise—she had no friends. After finishing her 100-meter test, she sat to rest under a tree… or dazed out?
Since getting launched by a car on opening day, Yukino had dropped her club-founding idea. She'd planned a "Service Club": a place to go after school, and a way to exercise her talents and try to change an imperfect world.
But Hayashi Maki's forceful entry had changed her mind. Rather than "change the world," maybe change herself first? Or find a way to change that scoundrel Hayashi Maki so he'd stop bullying her.
Just then, her phone buzzed. She'd just been thinking of him—and he messaged.
Was he going to harass her?
Thinking that, she still pulled out her phone.
Demon Lord: "Yukino-chan, look up. From my seat I can see your class's P.E."
On reflex, Yukino glanced up and saw him at the window, waving at her. She looked away at once and typed:
"Don't wave around randomly. Isn't that embarrassing?"
Demon Lord: "What's embarrassing? I've got thick skin. As long as I'm not embarrassed, someone else will be!"
Yukinoshita Yukino: "Proud of yourself, aren't you?"
Demon Lord: "Yep—because only with a thick skin can I kiss you."