Inside Akaza's office, the curtains were drawn.
Shinobu Kocho and Akaza were currently sitting facing each other before the desk, one in front and one behind, hands folded, staring unblinkingly at one another like wooden statues.
"So... Butterfly, how much longer are we going to keep looking at each other like this?"
Finally, after who knows how long, it was Akaza who couldn't hold back first and actively spoke up.
He still had a class this afternoon. If they kept wasting time like this, he would have to go back to teach soon.
"Shh, quiet, Hakuji. I'm observing you right now."
Still staring at him without shifting her gaze, Shinobu replied seriously.
"Ha, so why exactly are you observing me?"
Weren't we here to talk about that "friend of yours"?
"Sigh..."
Seemingly unable to spot any problems, after staring for a while longer, Shinobu finally gave up.
"You clearly look like you don't have any problems at all..."
Muttering this quietly, Shinobu's expression turned serious as she finally got to the main topic.
"Hakuji, listen to me. I have a friend..."
"Ah yes yes yes, I know. Butterfly, just say it directly. What problem has your friend encountered this time?"
Wearing a polite smile, Akaza skillfully poured a cup of hot water and prepared to start listening to her make things up.
"This friend of mine, she recently encountered a small problem in her life."
"Mm..."
"She suddenly discovered that some friends around her are very likely not human..."
"Mm mm..."
"How should I put it, she feels that she has several friends around her who seem to be demons in disguise..."
"Mm?!"
His brow slightly furrowed, Akaza suddenly felt that today's matter didn't seem so simple.
[What's the situation? Friends around her? Demons in disguise? Who is she talking about?]
"Butterfly, let me confirm first—the demons you're talking about, what do they look like?"
Akaza probed.
"Demons definitely look like demons! That kind where half is human! Half is all weird and strange!"
Nodding slightly, Akaza quickly pulled out paper and pen from the drawer, rapidly drew a picture, and handed it to Shinobu.
"For example, like this?"
On the paper was an indescribable thing with a stick figure on the left side and octopus tentacles on the right side—the art style was refreshingly unique and abstract.
It completely stunned Shinobu.
"That's not the kind of half I meant! I'm referring to that kind that roughly looks like a person, but the details are very unhuman-like, understand?!"
"OK, understood."
Nodding again, Akaza directly erased that half stick figure on the paper, replacing it with a tentacled octopus monster that barely looked humanoid.
Holding up the drawing, Akaza said with a serious face:
"Looks like a person from afar, looks like a monster up close—this time it can't be wrong, right?"
"Completely wrong! I'm talking about the legendary kind of demons that grow horns on their heads and eat people! Hakuji, you should know about those, right?!"
In her excitement, Shinobu directly raised both hands, making a horn-growing gesture beside her own head.
"Grow horns..."
Amid Shinobu's somewhat frantic roaring, Akaza silently picked up the pen and added two sharp horns to the round head of the octopus monster.
"Like this?"
Staring at his soulful artwork, Shinobu's shoulders slumped, her head tilted, and she couldn't help but laugh out loud.
Of course, it was an angry laugh.
"No, I just don't understand... Why are you so obsessed with that octopus monster?!"
Slamming the table and standing up, she waved her hands and gestured wildly while roaring:
"Demons! Are the kind that must eat people to survive! Can only appear at night! Die when they see sunlight! Can transform into various appearances! Have many strange and bizarre techniques!"
"Does Hakuji understand now?!"
"So that's how it was, I understand..."
Looking at Shinobu who had become frantic to the point of almost rushing up to beat him, Akaza really couldn't continue playing dumb.
He leaned back in his chair and nodded deeply.
Although he appeared very calm on the surface, his heart had actually started sweating a bit.
[Not good! Could the demon she's talking about be me?]
"So, Butterfly, you... your friend suddenly asking me this, what does she want to do?"
Quite nervous inside, Akaza probed.
"I said it just now, didn't I? My friend recently discovered that there are demons disguised as humans around her."
Sitting back down in her seat, Shinobu spoke seriously.
"Then... Butterfly, would you mind telling me, who exactly are those demons around your friend?"
Subconsciously lowering his voice, Akaza looked at her and asked quietly.
"Should be a pair of siblings."
Similarly staring intently at Akaza, Shinobu also lowered her voice and leaned her head closer.
"So that's how it was, actually a pair of siblings..."
"Ah, yes. Among them, that younger brother is actually a colleague of this friend of mine at work... How about it, Hakuji, don't you also find this unbelievable?"
"Well, it is indeed quite unbelievable..."
In the dimly lit room, the two were like secret agents making contact—half their bodies leaning over that wide desk, speaking quietly while staring intently at each other's faces, afraid of missing any detail.
But this atmosphere had no hint of romance whatsoever; instead, it was filled with tension.
Especially Akaza—if demons couldn't freely control their bodily conditions, he estimated that he would be sweating profusely by now.
"Hakuji, what do you think this pair of demon siblings want to do to this friend of mine?"
"Well, I think... they probably don't want to do anything?"
Barely maintaining his calm, Akaza replied:
"Perhaps they just want to find a place to live a plain and simple life, and then happened to come into contact with your friend, Butterfly, or something..."
"So that's how it was."
[Just want to live a plain life?]
Shinobu thought carefully and discovered that it really seemed to be exactly like this?
Mitsuba and Hakuji...
Between these two, let's not talk about Mitsuba first. Whether teaching classes or tutoring after class, Hakuji had always been quite serious.
She didn't recall him ever being absent or missing classes. Even when occasionally going out to play, he would still carry that notebook with him, preparing lesson plans anytime, anywhere.
Clearly a demon, yet as a teacher he was even more diligent than her, a human—truly unbelievable...
And Mitsuba... alright, although Mitsuba wasn't particularly proactive when it came to work, she still did go to work.
And even when not working, Mitsuba was basically just playing everywhere, focusing on making herself happy.
They really did seem to be experiencing life, just...
"Then Hakuji, what do you think—do demons all have to eat people to survive?"
"Well, regarding this, I think it should be certain?"
Carefully observing Shinobu's expression, Akaza replied:
"After all, demons as creatures are born unable to supplement their energy with other food. They can only rely on devouring humans..."