When Cael picked up Asa Mitaka's stained student ID, something didn't add up in his mind.
Come to think of it, when Cael first met Asa she was only wearing a pair of worn‑out socks on her feet.
And even earlier, when students were mourning Mr. Tanaka, the people gossiping in hushed tones might have been talking about her too, if his deductions weren't completely off.
He came to a conclusion.
There was a high chance, maybe eighty percent, that Asa Mitaka was a victim of school bullying.
While they were eating, Cael had quietly observed her.
She always kept her head down, moved with stiff formality, and seemed intensely constrained in every gesture.
That kind of honest, quiet personality was exactly the sort that got picked on.
Cael didn't give a shit about some abstract notion of saving the world.
He cared about real, actual people.
Ever since he'd met her, he just wanted to help — that was his nature.
He couldn't stand seeing someone get pushed around.
After dinner, Cael called out, "Denji, go wash the dishes. Reward is 1,000 yen."
Denji bounced up cheerfully and started clearing the table with a grin.
"Cael, you're too nice. I'd wash them even without the money!"
Soon it was just Cael and Asa left at the table.
Asa's heart was hammering.
This was a good opportunity.
The meddlesome Denji kid was long gone, leaving just her and Cael in this quiet moment.
Was he going to say something suggestive?
Was this the moment?
Cael brewed a cup of green tea and handed it to her.
"Asa, did you come here specifically to return the shoes?"
"Yes," she said, nodding with a flush creeping up her cheeks.
Her palms were sweaty.
Damn it, she felt more embarrassed in this situation than she ever had before.
It was like all her confidence had been siphoned out of her the second he walked up.
If only she had Yoru's shameless boldness…
"Asa, I can hear your inner thoughts…" Yoru muttered in her head.
"Oh," Cael said, pinching his chin casually, like he'd just remembered something.
Then he asked softly:
"I remember you were wearing a school uniform last time. You're an High School student, right?"
"Yes… I am," she replied, face heating up again.
"That must be tough," Cael said, eyes gentle.
"High Schools are all in big cities. Coming all the way out to a small place like this after classes, transferring buses… that takes up a lot of time, yeah?"
"Eh?" Asa blinked, stunned he was even considerate enough to phrase it that way.
Since Cael was being that thoughtful, it didn't feel right to lie to him.
Trust mattered — that was the foundation of any connection.
And if it was just her, she could probably open up a little, right?
"Cael, actually… I skipped school today, so it wasn't that big a deal…" she admitted quietly.
"Hmm?" Cael tilted his head, putting on a puzzled look as he checked the time on his phone.
"But today's Thursday. Logically you should be in class by now."
Asa's expression tightened, but finally she exhaled and said truthfully, "I hate going to university… so I didn't go."
Cael nodded, understanding.
It seemed they were finally getting to the heart of things.
"Why don't you like school, Asa?" he asked softly, guiding the talk like someone easing another through a funeral preparation — one small step at a time.
Asa inhaled deeply.
Thinking about school made her uncomfortable all over.
Every stupid little thing grated on her nerves.
Hallways full of students walking three‑wide blocking the way? Drop dead.
Restrooms turned into social hangouts? Drop dead.
People all lovey‑dovey in narrow stair halls and crowded classrooms? Seriously, go get a room if you want that much contact.
But, of course, saying all that out loud was not exactly polite.
Instead she said, thoughtfully:
"It's like everyone's gone crazy. They just ignore how insane the world is."
"Crowded illegal buildings everywhere in busy streets, guys caught drunk driving becoming mayors, and they even intentionally raise a devil in class. It's just too stupid."
Cael blinked, wiping a bead of sweat off his brow.
Speaking of raising devils…
Asa herself was literally a hybrid of human and the War Devil, Yoru, meaning she was a professional at raising devils by now.
Yoru grumbled mentally: I have no objection.
Cael tilted his head and asked casually, "Is the devil your class is raising the Chicken Devil?"
"Eh?" Asa looked up blankly, staring at him.
"How did you know that? The Chicken Devil's name is Kukobi."
"Oh, I heard your classmates talking about it," Cael said after sipping his tea.
For a moment Asa's eyes dimmed a little, but then immediately brightened.
"Yeah, Kukobi is a weird name," she said lightly.
"Every sentence it says ends with 'kuko', so that's why it got that name."
Cael didn't know whether to laugh or sigh.
Then he pointed out:
"From your expression, you don't actually hate devils all that much."
"Because Kukobi… is barely even considered a good devil," Asa murmured.
Devils get strength from human fear, and not many people fear chickens.
That made Kukobi weak as hell, something even a stray cat could have dealt with.
And — thanks to Kukobi — Asa was one of the few in her class who got her name remembered by it.
"It was flattened when I tripped over it," she said, face a little red.
Cael asked gently, "Your classmates all say you killed Kukobi?"
"It's not like that!" Asa protested instantly, face hot with embarrassment.
She didn't mind being misunderstood by her classmates anymore, but she didn't want Cael to think the wrong thing about her.
Asa took a breath, eyes downcast.
"The class president tripped me, that's why I fell on Kukobi," she explained softly.
But that class president had already turned into a devil and been killed, leaving no witnesses.
Dead men tell no tales.
Her eyes glistened slightly.
"Sorry, that sounds like an excuse, doesn't it?"
"Even though she's already dead, I'm still blaming her. I really am the worst…" Asa finished, voice trembling.
"No," Cael said calmly, "I believe you."
"Huh?" Asa blinked.
Cael smiled quietly.
"I can tell you're not lying."
Asa bit her lower lip, touched by his sincerity.
"Thank you."
Cael chose this moment to bring up something important.
"Asa… are you being bullied at school?"
"And was the reason you weren't wearing shoes that day because someone messed with them?"
Asa looked away, a little embarrassed.
"I don't care," she said stiffly.
"They're not my friends anyway. Misunderstanding me doesn't matter to me."
Cael shook his head.
"That's not okay. I need to teach whoever messed with your shoes a lesson. Your school's name is Fourth East High School, right?"
"How did you know?" Asa asked in disbelief.
University uniforms were all similar, so she never thought someone would actually recognize where she was from.
Cael smiled a little.
"Here," he said, handing her the student ID.
"Take good care of it, Asa."
A warm blush crept up her face.
"Th… thank you."
Cael was just way too gentle.