________________________________________________________________________________________________________
At Eriri's house.
"So? Do you see anything off?"
Eriri stood with her arms crossed, eyes sweeping over her room like she was looking for hidden tripwires.
If her savings weren't so low, she would've moved out ages ago.
Now, every time she came home, her heart raced like she was walking into a horror movie.
"There's definitely a low-tier curse about to break through," Edgar said matter-of-factly.
"Wh–where?"
"You want to see for yourself?"
"Can you make that happen?"
"If the client asks, of course."
He snapped his fingers lightly, and a flicker of magic flashed across Eriri's eyes.
In that instant—
A woman with long, matted hair and a tattered body appeared in front of her, radiating pure malice.
"Ahhhhhhh—!"
Eriri's scream pierced the air, bouncing around the entire room.
"You can see me? You can actually see me?"
The curse spirit shrieked in excitement, a foul, fishy stench washing over her like a slap to the face.
Her scream cut off instantly. She stood frozen, trembling head to toe.
"No need to be that scared," Edgar said casually. "I'm still here, aren't I?"
He waved his hand.
A surge of magic burst forth.
Boom!
The curse's body exploded, scattering into tiny motes of light before fading away completely.
Eriri stared in disbelief, her voice shaking. "Th–that's it? It's gone?"
"Of course. We're professionals."
Edgar nodded. "Everything's handled now. If you could just settle the bill—very reasonable, only one billion yen."
Her pupils contracted. "One… billion?! You're joking, right?"
"It's all in the contract, black and white. You're not thinking of skipping out, are you?"
He pulled out the document and laid it in front of her.
**[President's personal service: ]
Eriri's eyes widened at the text.
Sure, her dad was a diplomat and the family was well-off, but this amount of money? Was he serious?
And at that moment, she realized—
There is something scarier than running into a ghost.
It's being alive… and broke.
Eriri forced a stiff smile, her voice small. "Uh… I don't have that much money… maybe we can… negotiate?"
"Nope. That's my price."
Edgar shook his head. "If you really can't pay, then you can just give yourself to me instead."
…Eh?
Eh? Eh? Eh??
Her twin tails twitched, and her eyes shook like they were caught in an earthquake.
Wait… was this guy also a human trafficker?
Or worse—was he planning to chop her up and sell her organs?
Her eyes welled up, fat tears rolling down her cheeks.
Her legs trembled uncontrollably, droplets pattering onto the wooden floor.
She wanted to bolt, but this was her house.
And the display of power he'd just shown was way too terrifying.
It's over.
Her life… ruined.
Edgar: "…"
Akemi Miyano: "…"
…Did she just… pee herself?
Edgar and Akemi exchanged looks, both seeing the same bewilderment in each other's eyes.
What in the world had she been imagining?
"Relax, Eriri. We're not selling you," Edgar said with an exasperated sigh. "Your life's safe with me."
She blinked at him, studying his face.
Didn't look like he was lying.
And honestly, with his kind of power, he didn't need to scam people for cash.
"Haaah…"
She let out a long breath. "You really won't sell me… or my organs?" she asked in a whisper.
"Of course not."
He nodded.
Eriri immediately relaxed—too soon, as it turned out.
"After all, I'm a demon. Trading you for money would be a waste."
…What?
Her body froze all over again.
If anyone had told her before today that demons were real, she would've laughed in their face.
But now… after seeing an actual curse spirit?
A world with demons suddenly felt disturbingly reasonable.
She trembled harder. The puddle on the floor grew.
It's over.
He's a demon.
He's gonna eat me, isn't he?
I'm too young to die!
"Don't worry. We're not going to kill you," Akemi said quickly, rubbing her forehead.
If this went on, Eriri was going to faint.
But she wasn't listening anymore. Her brain had already blue-screened.
"If you keep this up, I'll just throw you out on the street," Edgar said.
…Like this? Out there?
Eriri glanced down, and her face went scarlet.
She'd been so busy panicking she'd forgotten her… condition.
No way. If he tossed her outside like this, she'd die of embarrassment before anything else.
Fighting back tears, swallowing her fear, she slid to her knees in one smooth motion, performing a perfect dogeza.
"Please, Mr. Demon, don't do that."
"See? Was that so hard?"
Edgar shook his head helplessly. He held up a finger, and golden blood welled from the tip. "Now, take off your jacket."
Her lips twitched. "M–Mr. Demon, you… you're not going to…"
"I'm going to leave a mark," he explained. "Turn you into a demon and make you my vassal, to serve me for life."
"…???"
What?
Humans… could become demons?
"What? You don't want to?"
"I do! I do!"
She nodded like a marionette.
At this point, what choice did she have?
And honestly… it didn't sound that bad.
Better than being sold off, anyway.
More importantly—now that she knew curses were real, this world was way too dangerous for a normal person.
Becoming a demon might be her best shot at surviving.
And… serving him?
Her cheeks flushed. She stole a glance at Edgar.
He was ridiculously handsome.
Steeling herself, her eyes firmed with resolve.
From this day forward—
She, Eriri, would become a demon.
"..."
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________