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Putting aside the absurdity of a devil crashing into the bathroom like some dramatic plot twist, Jack and Mai Sakurajima actually met in a pretty ordinary way…
To Mai, Jack was nothing like the kind of demon she had imagined.
He wasn't fearsome or bloodthirsty, and he didn't seem cold or heartless. Strip away the demon wings and magic, and he looked like any ordinary person.
What Mai didn't know was that, just a few days earlier, Jack had indeed been an ordinary human.
"Tell me your story first," Jack started, taking the initiative.
"To fix a problem you have to know where it comes from," he added.
Mai was quiet for two seconds, her face reluctant to go there. But she knew she couldn't avoid it, so she treated Jack like an audience and let out the thoughts she'd kept inside.
"I started in showbiz when I was six. After starring in that morning drama, I was on TV, in films, doing ads. I've always lived under everyone's gaze. Wherever I go, people talk about 'that Mai Sakurajima,' so at some point I made a wish. I wanted a world where no one knew me."
Jack's brow tightened slightly as he listened.
So the situation came from Mai's own wish?
"Then your wish came true," he concluded, folding his arms on the sofa.
"Yes, but it happened in a twisted way. It wasn't that people stopped recognizing me. They stopped seeing me." Mai's expression darkened; she sounded defeated.
Jack smirked a little. Her superpower had backfired on her.
"Figures. Life always finds a way to make wishes go wrong." He said it softly, and Mai couldn't help but agree, though it felt odd coming from a demon.
"You're a demon, and you're talking about life now." she said.
Jack laughed under his breath. "Lucky for me, I don't have to think about 'life' the way humans do. Otherwise, with a lifespan like mine, I'd have so many worries."
"That sounds a little gloating," Mai replied, calm.
"Not gloating." Jack smiled faintly, confident, and went on. "From what you described, I think I get it. It's what you'd call an 'atmosphere.' Your ability seems tied to that."
He had heard Rias mention where human powers came from. Usually, a human's ability springs from some desire within them. Some people's strong desires even drew the recognition of legendary artifacts, god-slaying weapons so powerful they could kill gods. Those ranks held the top ten artifacts, but in total there were rumors of thirteen such god-slaying tools.
Mai's kind of power wasn't on that level, but its origin was the same as anyone else's.
Mai looked puzzled. "What do you mean by 'atmosphere'?"
"It's simple. As long as people are alive, they belong to circles. Whether at school or in the world, they're part of something." Jack spoke calmly, like he'd seen it all. "If you're too prominent, people start whispering—calling you arrogant, jealous of you, or pushing you away."
Jack already knew how this worked. That's why he had learned the art of blending in. He avoided standing out and never sought attention in front of ordinary people.
Mai was different. She'd been a child star and grown into a major celebrity. Her shine couldn't be hidden. To Jack, her being isolated by those around her was inevitable.
To regular people, she was dazzling and untouchable, impossible to approach.
After his explanation, Mai understood. She had always borne the weight of being seen as above others. That wasn't her choice, it was society's ladder deciding for her.
"There's nothing you can do about that, right?" she murmured.
"Yeah. Fighting atmosphere is a headache." Jack nodded, then sighed. "Most people can't ignore it. Occasionally someone doesn't care what others think and has a strong inner life, but then they're labeled a weirdo."
He shook his head. "So, to summarize, I have two possible ways to deal with your situation."
"Really?" Mai asked, skeptical. She felt lost, and yet Jack was already proposing two solutions?
Jack held up one finger. "First, find where this symptom started and create a sensational rumor about you. The bigger the explosion the better. That's the best weapon against atmosphere."
"Like what?" she asked.
"Well…like exposing Mai Sakurajima in a secret relationship, then having that playboy boyfriend betray and abandon you," he suggested.
"I'll take the second option." Mai answered without hesitation.
Jack pursed his lips. "Quick rejection. I was going to offer to play the fake playboy boyfriend."
"You underestimate the media. Even if it was fabricated, they'd swarm all over you like ants." Mai warned. As a celebrity she knew exactly what the press were like. If they did something like Jack suggested, it would be setting herself on fire.
Jack was unruffled. "I'm not blind to that. It's exactly the media behavior I intend to use." He looked at her with steady eyes. "I don't bet on people's goodness. I bet on people's worst. I don't bet they'll want you to live. I bet they'll want me dead."
Mai stared. The words hit like a single, unexpected pulse. He said them so plainly that her own heart stumbled.
After a long moment she spoke, measured. "I don't need you to do that. Tell me about the second method."
Jack was quiet a beat, then said softly, "The second method still starts with finding where it began. Then you work to change people's perceptions little by little. Try to make them remember you. But the chances of success are small."
Given his thinking, Jack favored the first method. Even without fabricating a playboy, a suitably explosive scandal could bulldoze through the atmosphere. The catch was that Mai would have to be the victim, and someone else would need to play the villain to rally public outrage…
"..."
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