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The gift of double-casting opened up a whole new range of options for Andrew's attacks.
Not that he'd really run into any tricky enemies yet—but who would ever complain about having too many ways to fight?
Still, compared to the double-casting Marina had given him, Airi's ability to stack damage was an even bigger surprise.
At the Akizuki household.
Marina stirred awake, still hazy from sleep, though there was something she couldn't quite put into words that she felt in her body.
"Mmm… sis, let's sleep a little longer… Airi's still tired…"
Her younger sister's sleepy mumble came from her arms. Marina's face instantly flushed pink as last night's memories rushed back.
So… it wasn't just a dream?
She really had made a contract with a demon—and belonged to him now?
Panic shot through her chest. Forgetting all about her sister, she scrambled out of bed, darted into the bathroom, and fumbled with the shower, letting the hot water run over her head as her thoughts tumbled.
That wasn't a dream?
"Of course it wasn't. Marina, what kind of nonsense are you thinking about?"
A warm breath brushed against her ear. Startled, she gasped and spun around.
"Y-you…! How did you even get in here?"
Andrew only grinned and scooped her up by the waist, holding her against him.
"I'm a demon. Coming to my contractor's side is as easy as a thought."
Her face burned hotter. She pushed at his chest, embarrassed.
"D-don't… not like this… my head's a mess right now, demon lord…"
"Call me Andrew. Didn't we agree on that last night?"
"Ugh… A-Andrew… please… just give me a little time to—ah…"
Her desperate plea was cut short. He wasn't about to give her the space to overthink.
Marina's eyes went wide, trembling like she might burst into tears, but her body remembered too well what had happened the night before. Before she realized it, her arms had looped shyly around his neck.
What followed was his careful "review session."
Like a patient scholar, Andrew guided the blushing, obedient Marina through the knowledge she'd only just learned.
It didn't take long before her slender frame went weak and pliant against him, her breath coming in soft gasps as she squeezed her eyes shut in shame.
He stroked her damp hair, feeling how smooth it was under his fingers, and leaned close to murmur in her ear:
"Don't forget—Marina belongs to me now. Stay away from other guys, or I'll have to punish you."
"H-hate that… why would you say something like that? We only just met…"
Her eyes filled with tears, but she curled up against his chest anyway, as if surrendering.
It was all moving too fast. This wasn't anything like the romance she'd imagined for herself. Her conservative nature had no defense against his possessive words—her thoughts blurred, leaving her unable to argue back.
Once he'd secured their contract, Andrew gently carried her back to her room so she could rest.
Then he turned to Airi's.
The blonde girl was still curled up under the covers, fast asleep. Without hesitation, Andrew bent down and pressed his lips to hers.
He'd reinforced his bond with Marina. Naturally, he couldn't leave Airi out.
Unlike her sister, Airi blinked awake at his kiss. Realizing last night hadn't been a dream, she immediately threw her arms around his neck, nuzzling up to him.
She was the opposite of her older sister—once she liked someone, she gave her whole heart without holding back.
And Airi clearly didn't dislike this handsome demon "Andrew." In fact, she was drawn to him, grateful for his help the night before.
Just thinking about their disgusting stepfather, Koyo Akizuki, made her stomach turn.
If not for Andrew, that nightmare would've fallen on her. Instead, he had protected her. So what if he was a demon?
Plenty of men pretended to be gentlemen while hiding hearts more vile than any demon.
After a while, Andrew ruffled both girls' hair, exchanged phone numbers with them, and finally slipped away.
He had only come out for a short while—he still needed to get back to school.
Watching his retreating figure, Marina's cheeks were still glowing red.
She couldn't stop herself from calling out to her little sister.
"Airi… don't you have anything you want to say about this?"
"Eh? Say what? That guy's really handsome?"
"Airi!" Marina's face went red. "A girl should be more reserved… You… I… Ugh, why are you acting so calm about all this? After what just happened?"
And yet… her little sister almost looked happy about it.
The memory of certain things that had happened earlier flashed through Marina's mind, making her cheeks burn even hotter.
Seeing her sister so confused, Airi slipped her arm through Marina's, nuzzled her cheek against her shoulder, and finally spoke:
"Silly sis. What's done is done. You can't undo it, so why not try to accept it?"
"Hehe. Besides, Andrew is obviously not just some ordinary guy. He's so cool, so handsome, and… well, really amazing. Who could hate him after that?"
"And anyway, if it weren't for him, that creep Koyo would've gotten his way with us, right? Sis, have you even thought about what would've happened to us if he hadn't stepped in?"
"Ugh… th-that…"
The thought alone made Marina shudder. She shook her head violently.
"No! Something like that must never happen!"
Airi giggled, hugging her tighter like a spoiled child. "See? Deep down you already understand, don't you?"
"Lord Demon is so gentle. Being by his side feels unbelievably safe. Sis, you'd better figure out how to win his heart—otherwise who's going to protect us?"
"I… I am grateful to him, of course. But it's all happening too fast. We barely even know each other and then… that. It's just too shameless."
Marina still couldn't quite accept it.
Her sense of restraint, that girlish pride and modesty, wouldn't allow her to so easily accept belonging to Andrew—especially alongside her sister.
In her mind, love was supposed to grow naturally: two people slowly realizing their feelings for each other, helping one another through daily life, learning to understand each other's warmth. Then, when the time was right, they'd officially start dating. Maybe hold hands, get closer, and finally, on their wedding day, give themselves fully to each other.
Watching her sister tangled up in so many thoughts, Airi rolled her eyes.
"What's so shameful about it? You were enjoying it just as much. Last night it was supposed to be my turn, but you clung to Andrew and wouldn't let go. Poor me, I was miserable."
"T-that's not true! He was the one holding onto me! Airi, how can you even say things like that?"
"Ehehe, either way, it doesn't matter. What's done is done. And sis, you were definitely happy just now, weren't you? Instead of overthinking how to deal with Andrew, shouldn't we be worrying more about how to keep Mom from finding out what happened to that scumbag stepfather?"
At those words, Marina froze. The image of last night flashed back—the pervert reduced to ashes by Andrew's flames.
Her face turned pale, and she looked completely lost.
"What do we do? If Mom ever learns the truth about him, she'll be devastated."
Airi hugged her more snugly, eyes sparkling as she whispered:
"Then we just don't tell her. Simple. After a while, we can put up a missing person notice. As far as everyone's concerned, he just disappeared. We go on with our lives like normal."
Right…
And what's a student supposed to do? Go to school, enjoy youth, study hard. That was it.
Marina let out a heavy sigh.
"…I guess that's the only way."
Mom had just come out of a failed marriage, only to remarry what she thought was a gentleman. If she discovered that "gentleman" was a monster, who knew how deeply it would hurt her?
So the sisters agreed to pretend Koyo Akizuki never existed, and let their mother eventually realize on her own that he had gone missing.
All they could do was be there for her, comfort her when she was sad.
No matter what, life had to go on.
And with one less monster in the world, maybe it would even be a better place.
At least, for Airi and Marina, it certainly felt that way.
"..."
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