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Jack stared at the girl in front of him, not really sure what she meant by what she'd just said.
What does she mean I can still see her?
He gave her another look. She was wearing an ordinary high school uniform, but the first impression she gave off wasn't "student." More like a calm, slightly lazy beauty with an air of maturity.
Her limbs were slender and well-proportioned—like a mannequin carved with precision and care. Her eyes were deep and focused, her small face serious, which gave her an odd mix of dignity and feminine allure.
"You mean I can still see you? What's that supposed to mean?" Jack asked, confused.
The girl replied evenly, "Just what it sounds like."
"…Well, I can see you just fine."
He said it, but inside he was already second-guessing everything.
Wait. Is she… a ghost?Maybe because I'm a demon now, I can see her when others can't?
Rias never said anything about this world having beautiful ghosts wandering around…
"So, you're saying other people can't see you?"
That set off a little alarm in his head. He'd already had his fair share of weird encounters lately—couldn't blame him for being on edge.
"Unfortunately, that's exactly the case," she said calmly, her expression steady as a still lake. "Doesn't affect me much, but it's… inconvenient."
Her tone was too calm, too composed. Still, Jack relaxed a bit. She didn't seem dangerous. His instincts would've flared up otherwise.
"Well, how about trying your luck with our fortune-telling event? Maybe your wish will come true," he said suddenly, realizing she'd make a pretty ideal contract target.
He handed her a flyer. For some reason, though, she looked oddly familiar…
Have I seen her somewhere before?
As he pondered that, the girl seemed a little less tense too—maybe relieved that someone could actually see her. She reached out and took the flyer.
"Eh? What's this… a magic circle? Some kind of old-school superstition ad?"
I knew it! Jack screamed internally. They always think it's superstition!
Recovering quickly, he put on his best customer-service smile."It's not that! It's a promotional event for our club. A wishing ritual, you could say. They say carrying one of these brings good luck."
"'Occult Research Club,' huh…" she murmured, glancing at the flyer. Something flickered in her eyes.
Her situation did sound like it belonged in the realm of the occult, after all.
She tucked the flyer away and looked up at him. "I'll take a look when I have time. See you."
"Sure. Thanks," Jack said with a polite smile as she turned to leave.
She walked a short distance before pausing, turning back slightly with a puzzled look."Something feels off… oh, right. His smile—it's way too fake. What is he, some trainee actor or something?"
And with that, she melted into the crowd and was gone.
She didn't realize Jack had heard every word loud and clear.
Ever since he became a demon, his senses were superhuman. He could hear someone whisper from hundreds of meters away.
He thought his acting wasn't bad—but apparently, he'd just been read like an open book by a pro.
Wait. An actor?
That thought hit him like a spark.
He looked up at a nearby building. On its massive LED screen, an ad was playing—featuring the same girl, smiling sweetly at the camera.
"Mai Sakurajima…" he murmured, reading the name under "Brand Ambassador."
So she wasn't just an actress. She was the actress—a top-tier celebrity.
No wonder she'd seen through his fake smile in a heartbeat.
And that also meant… she wasn't a ghost after all.
Jack frowned thoughtfully. Maybe this world had humans with strange powers too.Well, there were angels, devils, and fallen angels—so a few gifted humans didn't sound all that far-fetched anymore.
He shrugged and went back to handing out the remaining flyers.
He'd given out quite a few today. Maybe one of them would trigger a summoning spell and bring him to a potential contractor.
Demons needed contracts—it was how they grew stronger, how they gained power.
When he finally finished his work, Jack started heading home.
Walking alone through the quiet streets, he thought about the teleportation spell Rias and the others used.A high-level devil technique, according to Akeno. Someone like him, still bottom-tier, didn't stand a chance at casting it yet.
If only he could learn it… life would be so much easier.
But to level up, he needed more contracts.And to get contracts, he needed to keep passing out flyers.
Still just a beginner, huh…
He sighed softly.
Then his heart suddenly skipped a beat.
Every nerve in his body went on high alert—his demonic instincts screaming danger!
Something was coming.
He froze and narrowed his eyes, staring ahead.
Night had fallen, and the street was deserted, shadows swallowing everything. But with his demon vision, darkness didn't matter. He could see perfectly.
A few black feathers drifted down from the sky.
Then, a woman with black wings slowly descended from above—seductive, yet sinister.
A fallen angel.
Jack's brow furrowed. Great. Not again.
The woman looked at him with disdain. Her outfit barely qualified as clothing, just a few strips of fabric covering the essentials. And yet, she was stunning.
Still, that thick black eye shadow gave her a predatory, almost eerie look.
"Well, well. Didn't think I'd find a low-level demon crawling around here. What a pain. Killing you would be too easy—it'd almost be a waste of effort. I don't even feel like dirtying my Light Spear on you."
Her voice was dripping with contempt, her killing intent obvious.
Sure, the three factions had signed a peace treaty long ago, but the hostility between angels, devils, and fallen angels never really went away.
In simple terms—they still wanted each other dead.
Hearing her sneer, Jack didn't bother holding back. His lips curved slightly as he muttered under his breath,
"Seeing a skanky bird like you this late at night really makes my middle finger twitch."
The fallen angel blinked. "…What?"
"..."
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