__________________________________________________________________________________________________________
There's a difference between being lonely and being a loner.
The lonely crave connection, terrified of solitude. Loners, on the other hand, are the exact opposite—indifferent to how others see them, self-contained, even a little arrogant.
Jack was definitely the latter. But he wasn't your typical loner.
Most people like that don't even realize they're hard to be around; they're just naturally off-putting. Jack, though, was perfectly aware of his own shortcomings—and so he learned to hide them.
To anyone else, he came across as approachable, easy to talk to, the kind of guy who could strike up a conversation with anyone and somehow always find the right topic.
But those who really knew him understood the truth: beneath that calm, friendly surface was something deeply unsettling.
Thankfully, Rias and the others knew that when he was with them, he wasn't pretending. No fake smiles, no polite masks. His natural poise and that prematurely mature aura were too genuine to be an act.
Class passed uneventfully—just another ordinary day at school. If you ignored the power humming steadily in his veins, reminding him he wasn't exactly human anymore, it really did feel like normal life.
After class came club time.
Following his turn on classroom duty, Jack showed up to the Occult Research Club about ten minutes late.
The first thing he noticed when he stepped in was the sound of running water. Someone was showering in the club's private bath.
On the sofa lay a neatly folded pile of clothes—complete with certain feminine undergarments stacked delicately on top. Through the misty, half-transparent curtain, a graceful silhouette could be seen moving beneath the water.
Since Akeno and Koneko were both out here, that meant the one inside could only be Rias.
She really loves her baths… Jack thought, giving Akeno and Koneko a small nod before sitting down on the sofa.
Koneko was, as usual, snacking on something. He couldn't help but sigh a little. Does she ever gain weight? Then again, she was a demon girl—probably immune to such mortal concerns.
"Vice President," he asked casually, "what exactly do we do during club activities?"
Akeno smiled her usual soft, gentle smile as she held a set of clean clothes—clearly meant for Rias. "Officially, we're the Occult Research Club. In reality, that's just a cover. What we actually do is hand out flyers—find people who might summon us and form contracts with demons."
"Flyers?" Jack blinked.
Even demons needed to advertise?
"This," Koneko said, handing him a sheet of paper.
He took it, examining the purple magic circle drawn across it. Now that his body had fully transformed, he could sense the faint trace of demonic energy pulsing from the page.
Just then, the curtain lifted. Rias emerged from the steam.
Her crimson hair was still damp, clinging to her shoulders. A white towel was loosely wrapped around her body, leaving her collarbones bare, her long legs gleaming under the soft light. Droplets of water slid down her pale skin, catching the light like tiny gems. A faint, warm scent lingered in the air around her.
Cold elegance, mature allure, and wild beauty—all perfectly blended in her.
If the guys at school saw this, they'd probably lose their minds on the spot.
But this view was his alone.
Rias took the towel from Akeno, rubbing at her hair as she joined the conversation.
"I told you before," she said with a teasing smile, "we demons gain power by forming contracts with humans. And to do that, we have to advertise first. Hence… flyers."
Jack opened his mouth but couldn't find the words.
So this was what being a demon meant?
How… down-to-earth.
Seeing his confusion, Rias chuckled softly. "Normally, we let our familiars handle the flyer distribution. Our main job is to grant the summoner's wish—convincing them to sign the contract willingly. That's where the real power comes from."
Akeno added gently, "When the familiar forest opens again, we'll help you find a familiar of your own. But for now…" She patted his shoulder with a playful smile. "Start with the basics. Every demon has to hand out flyers at least once~"
Since everyone was in agreement, Jack didn't argue. He calmly took the stack of magic-circle flyers from Koneko's hands.
"Good luck," Koneko murmured.
He nodded, noticing a crumb of bread stuck at the corner of her lips. With a faint sigh, he handed her a tissue and tapped his own mouth in silent indication.
"Alright, I'll get going," he said, rising to his feet.
"Hehe, do your best," Rias replied, winking at him. She really did admire that steady composure of his.
And so, with a stack of flyers under his arm, Jack headed to the crowded streets.
Seriously… handing out demon summoning flyers in public? I'm amazed no one's called the cops for spreading 'superstition.'
He couldn't help but grumble inwardly.
Still, maybe there were people out here who actually did know about demons. Who could say?
Shrugging it off, he put on his best "customer service" smile and got to work.
"Excuse me, please take a look—our new fortune and wish-granting service."
"Hi there, mind checking out our latest fortune activity?"
"Good afternoon, ma'am—here, please have a flyer."
...
He'd done this kind of thing before in his previous life, so the motions came naturally. Most people ignored him, waving him off or pretending not to see him. A few took the flyer just to be polite, and fewer still actually stopped to read it.
After a few hours, his pile had nearly vanished.
Nice. Just a few more left and I'm done.
Spotting a girl walking toward him, he straightened up and offered his usual friendly smile.
"Hello—would you like to learn about our fortune and wish-granting event?"
The girl blinked at him in mild surprise.
"Well, that's unexpected," she said softly. "You can actually see me?"
Jack froze, blinking in confusion.
"...Huh?"
"..."
____________________________________________________________________________________________________