Perhaps Ryuichi's words had struck a chord. Nakano Ichika fell silent, lost in thought.
"To gain something… you have to give something up, huh…"
She murmured his words under her breath, as if tasting them. And in that moment, her heart already knew the answer.
Leaning gently against Ryuichi's shoulder, Ichika sighed. "I get it. Could I ask you to tell the others for me? I… I just don't know how to face them myself."
"Sure," Ryuichi answered. "I'll explain it to them when we get back."
"I'm still so nervous… What if they get angry?"
Ichika's anxious smile betrayed the doubt behind her eyes. Even though Ryuichi had told her her sisters would understand, she couldn't shake the fear. What if one of them got emotional? That would ruin the whole atmosphere of the fireworks night.
"Once you've made your choice," Ryuichi said calmly, "don't overthink it."
Taking her by the hand, he led Ichika out of the alley—straight toward the bearded man waiting nearby.
The man blinked in surprise. "Ichika! Where did you two run off to? Geez, the audition's about to start!"
Ichika froze, momentarily embarrassed. Ryuichi, meanwhile, caught onto one specific word.
"...Audition?"
He turned toward her, brow raised. Just now she'd said this job was for photography, hadn't she?
Oh.
Ryuichi realized almost immediately—calling it "photography work" wasn't technically wrong. So she was going to be in front of the camera, not behind it.
He couldn't help but smile wryly.
Another actress, huh?
It seemed like everyone around him worked in show business these days. Sakurajima Mai was already a superstar, her younger sister Toyohama Kazuka a fairly popular idol, and now Nakano Ichika was stepping onto the same path.
"Sorry," Ryuichi said smoothly, taking the blame before Ichika could. "I needed to talk to her about something important."
"You?" The bearded man frowned. "Do you realize how important this audition is for Ichika?"
His worry seemed genuine—his face had gone pale with urgency.
"I'm just a friend," Ryuichi said evenly. "Sorry to hold you up. Let's get going."
If they didn't make it in time, Ryuichi decided, he'd personally take Ichika there. He couldn't fly yet, but his running speed easily rivaled a car's.
Hearing that, the man hurried off to fetch the car. Ryuichi and Ichika waited by the roadside.
"So you've really decided to go down the acting route?" he asked.
"Yeah. About six months ago, the agency president approached me. He asked if I wanted to try acting, so I gave it a shot—just small, nameless roles at first. Then earlier today, he called to say there's an audition for a major film."
She explained her journey these past months—the classic story of being scouted on the street.
"This path won't be as easy as you think."
Having dated an actress himself, Ryuichi knew the truth. Acting looked glamorous from the outside, but breaking through was brutally hard.
Not everyone could be a Sakurajima Mai.
"I know," Ichika said with a soft laugh. "But I still want to give it my all. I think it's finally time to take my first real step."
Her smile was gentle, but Ryuichi didn't return it immediately. He stared at her instead, eyes dark and steady as obsidian.
"Has anyone ever told you," he said quietly, "that your smile looks fake? Forced, even."
"Eh…?" Ichika blinked, startled. "Is it… that obvious?"
"It is," Ryuichi replied. "Because I used to do the exact same thing. Smile for others when you don't mean it. I can spot it a mile away."
A trace of nostalgia crossed his face.
He used to be like that—wearing masks, pretending indifference. But the people he'd met—Rias, Akeno, Mai, even the Nakano sisters—had changed him more than he ever realized.
Still, Ichika wasn't quite the same as him.
Ryuichi's fake smiles once had purpose—tools to achieve his goals. Ichika's came from hiding her vulnerability. That difference alone made him stronger, steadier.
Of course, that didn't stop him from recognizing the expression immediately. After all, Sakurajima Mai had once seen through his fake smile just as easily.
Now, it was his turn to see through Ichika's.
Becoming a Devil had marked a turning point in Ryuichi's life. And now, with a contract linking him to Ichika, he felt an unspoken obligation—to guide her, to help her change.
Perhaps, he thought, this was what a faith contract truly meant.
He remembered what he and Mai had built together—a bond forged through unreserved trust and mutual understanding. Maybe, just maybe, helping Ichika find her path would bring about another kind of miracle.
"You know," Ryuichi said with a soft smile, "I've realized something recently. Living honestly—saying what's in your heart without pretending—is the easiest way to breathe."
He reached out and gently tugged at Ichika's cheeks, reshaping her forced grin into a genuine one.
"So I don't bother with fake smiles anymore. You should try it too. Stop forcing yourself. You don't always have to act calm. You're scared, aren't you? You've been trembling this whole time."
Ichika's eyes widened, and her face flushed crimson.
"When I started this job," she admitted softly, "I thought I'd finally grown up—that I could be a dependable eldest sister. But the closer I got to this audition, the more I couldn't stop picturing… how pathetic it'd feel to go home if I failed. I guess that's why I'm so afraid."
She turned toward him, her voice barely above a whisper.
"I wish I could be as composed as you, Ryuichi."
"That'll just disappoint you," he said with a faint, self-deprecating smile. "My calm comes from my eternal lifespan. I've got all the time in the world to make mistakes and learn from them. If I were in your shoes, I'd probably crumble long before you did."
Ichika hesitated, lips parting but no words coming. She didn't believe him. Even without eternal life, Ryuichi's heart was far steadier than hers.
He'd seen too much, understood too deeply. No matter what happened, he always carried that unshakable composure—like someone who had already glimpsed every secret of the world.
Eventually, she could only sigh.
"Being a Devil must be nice…"
Ryuichi chuckled softly and gave her shoulder a light pat.
"Cheer up. Don't burden yourself too much. No one laughs at someone who gives it their all. Just do your best—that's more than enough."
Outside, the first wave of fireworks lit up the sky again, scattering color across Ichika's eyes. For a fleeting moment, her real smile finally appeared—quiet, honest, and beautiful.