After resting a bit, Eriri looked up at the rascal holding her.
"Hey, Maki-kun… what are you going to do about this? You actually did that to me."
Hayashi Maki stroked her golden twin-tails and tightened his arm around her slender waist.
"I'll take responsibility. Eriri is mine—and from now on, you only let me kiss you and hold you."
"So shameless—and so bossy." Eriri pouted, feelings in a tangle. She honestly didn't know what to do. He was bad, sure… but she hadn't exactly refused him either. So she couldn't put all the blame on him. What could she do? She was cute, and he liked her. And he was handsome, mysterious, and had serious "boyfriend power."
"I'm bossy?" Hayashi Maki pointed at himself.
"Of course. And a total shameless rogue."
She muttered, then ducked her head, too shy to meet his eyes.
"Do you hate it?" Hayashi Maki asked, kissing her cheek with a smile.
Her face burned hotter; she shot him a glare.
"Stop teasing me. I still feel a little… off."
"Sorry, sorry. Want me to use magic to help?"
His palm rested lightly on her smooth, flat stomach, mana flowing in. With their contract formed, his magic coursed into her more easily, nurturing the mana seed within her.
Fate was funny—on impulse he'd ended up with the tsundere blonde twin-tails before he'd even "won" Utaha-senpai.
"Huh… that actually feels pretty good. Hey, Pervert-kun, what other magic can you use?"
Eriri gazed at him with curiosity. What's done was done; he'd been gentle, and she'd been satisfied—no point regretting. Just accept it. In all these years, no boy she'd met could match him; being his girlfriend felt safe. Why not? As his girlfriend, she wanted to know as much about him as possible.
"Well… I can use healing, and offensive hellfire, and a handful of other spells. I might end up… an all-rounder."
"…"
"You might as well say you're a god. How perfunctory."
He laughed wryly. "I'm serious. But no—I'm not a god. I'm a demon."
"Mhm. Now that you've made a contract with me, you're a magical girl. You'll gradually awaken your power. Happy to hear it?"
"Not at all!" Her eyes lit up for a second, then she turned away and denied it.
"Still tsundere at a time like this? Then I'll have to use… other methods to comfort my cute Eriri."
He said it lightly as his hand wandered to her fair skin. Eriri panicked.
"D-don't—okay, okay, I'm happy! I do want to be a magical girl!"
He chuckled. "Utaha-senpai is much more straightforward than you."
At the mention of Utaha, Eriri's chest soured.
"I'm nothing like her. That black-stockings, buxom woman—you definitely love that."
"What are you getting depressed about? You've got plenty of upside. And, honestly, what's prettiest is what suits the body's lines. You're very pretty, Eriri—I love it—mmmph!"
She clapped a hand over his mouth. "Quit it… you always say flustering things. I can't take it—give me a break, okay?"
"Alright. Let's rest. I'll take you home in a bit."
After a gentle pause, he led her to shower, then stole a brief moment of closeness, and finally walked her home.
At her door—a house straight out of a Western princess tale—Eriri's face reddened.
"I—I'm going in."
"See you. Call me anytime. And wear the necklace I gave you—that's a protective magic item."
"Got it."
She glanced up at him, bit her lip, leaned in and kissed his cheek, then dashed inside. Tsundere, yes—but not stupid. She wasn't going to miss a perfect chance to show a little "girl power."
Touching his cheek, Hayashi Maki's lips curved with a pleased smile as he watched her disappearing figure before turning away.
Back inside, Eriri pressed a hand to her still-racing heart, cheeks aflame. She'd remember today forever. That guy… too bad. And scary. Even now it felt unreal—how had she handled it? Thinking of the over-the-top scenes from her doujins, she suddenly felt that not everything in them was fake.
"...Eriri—got caught, didn't you?"
A playful voice at her ear made Eriri's twin-tails stand on end.
"Mom! Why are you sneaking up behind me like that? You scared me!"
"Heehee, that's not the point, is it?" said a black-haired beauty who looked 90% like Eriri—but curvier. Smiling, she set hands on her daughter's shoulders. "Why didn't you invite that handsome boy up? I saw you—Eriri kissed his cheek. Youth is nice, huh?"
"Ahhh! Y-you saw?!"
Eriri shrieked; a tidal wave of embarrassment made her head buzz. She'd been seen kissing Hayashi Maki—by her mother.
"Yup. Clear as day." Sae Muramura pinched her daughter's cheek. "So—who is he? You're kissing his cheek already; aren't you going to introduce him to me?"
"Um… he's Hayashi Maki… the author behind the illustrations I'm drawing. Kurosora Twilight-sensei himself."
"Oh, that genius author. Good taste, Eriri. Come on—tonight, mother and daughter are going to talk."
Sae decided to teach her tsundere daughter a few tricks about holding a man's heart.
…
Back to Hayashi Maki.
The evening was still young; he wasn't going to waste it. With a flicker, he appeared at the Akizuki home.
On the sofa, a blonde twin-tailed girl lay on her stomach, legs kicking as she chatted with friends on her phone. Hayashi Maki's fingers practically itched.
Unlike Eriri's delicate build, Airi Akizuki was the legendary "petite demon"—her entire body radiated ripe, mature allure. Cute enough to explode.
~~~
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