Knock, knock, knock.
There came a few unhurried knocks at the door.
Su Tang sat up from bed. The morning sun outside sprinkled mottled shards of light across the floor.
He instinctively looked at his bedroom door.
Mm. The string was still there.
Su Tang breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed none of those anime-common "night raids" had occurred last night.
Honestly, without fire-qi, facing one female fiend and a girl who could turn into a chainsaw, he might not have been able to fend them off.
As he thought this, there was knocking again.
Not on his bedroom door, but the outer door.
Himeno back already?
Su Tang rubbed his forehead—just awake, not quite clear yet.
He got out of bed, walking and trying to recall.
What happened yesterday…
Oh right—Denji-ko suddenly found some life goal, clenched her fists and shouted "for pectoral muscles," then buried her head in her food?
Power looked excited too.
Su Tang didn't really get it. He could only suppose Denji-ko wanted to work out? Build chest muscles?
Anyway, having a goal was good.
Thinking this, he'd reached the door.
Knock, knock, knock.
The knocking remained unhurried.
Su Tang didn't open at once, but first peered through the peephole.
Eh? No one?
Where was the knocking coming from?
Blinking in puzzlement, Su Tang looked again—still no one.
So he raised his voice and asked, "Who is it?"
"Sigh. Miss Makima sent me, to take you to get your license."
The reply came immediately.
The voice was soft and a bit weak, but somewhat androgynous—one of those voices that could be a boy's or a girl's, depending on what you thought.
Su Tang thought it sounded like a girl.
Hearing she was sent by Miss Makima, he set aside his doubts, turned the handle, and opened the door.
Then—
He froze.
"A-a… angel??!!"
He almost closed the door to calm down. Was he still dreaming? How did opening the door reveal an angel?
Huge pure white wings folded on the back, a glowing halo above the head…
Soft orange mid-length hair, a clean, delicate face, a neat suit and tie… huh? Suit and tie?
Why would an angel wear a suit and tie?
"Mm. You're Su Tang, right? I'm the Angel Devil."
No pitch in the tone, no rise or fall in volume—she embodied "three-no" to perfection as she spoke.
Su Tang lowered his head, staring dazedly at her/him?
Likely "her." He wasn't sure, but with that cute a face, he'd assume "she" for now.
So it really was the Angel Devil… the world was wide indeed—he hadn't expected to see such a being.
He looked her up and down curiously—about one meter fifty. No wonder he hadn't seen her through the peephole earlier.
"Have you stared enough?"
It was a question, but from the Angel Devil it was still a flat, weak tone with no hint of emotion.
"Sorry, sorry. It's my first time seeing a devil so close to human form."
Su Tang smiled apologetically and extended his right hand in greeting. "Hello, I'm Su Tang."
"Mm. I know."
The Angel Devil glanced at his outstretched hand and ignored it. Calmly, she said, "You'd better keep your distance. If we make contact, I'll drain your lifespan."
A brow arched, slightly surprised, Su Tang nodded.
"You're not afraid of me?" Seeing his expression, the Angel Devil asked in a declarative tone. But before he could answer, she sighed and gave up on the question. "Forget it. I'm just here to take you to the exam."
"It only counts if we make contact, right? Then there's nothing to be afraid of."
Su Tang smiled and offered a brief explanation, then nodded. "Alright, let's go now."
There was another reason he didn't say.
He didn't know how much lifespan he had left, either.
In theory, after contracting with the Holy Lord, he'd inherited half of all the Holy Lord's abilities—did that include half the lifespan?
But the Holy Lord is immortal—how do you calculate half of that?
Or maybe he hadn't inherited lifespan at all?
All unknowns. Su Tang was a young adult and had no special sense of any change—no "suddenly felt decades older" experience that had nothing to do with him.
"Aren't you going to prepare anything else?"
Despite her three-no airs, the Angel Devil was clearly curious. After a second's pause, she couldn't help asking what she'd wanted to ask all along:
"Why are you wearing Makima's clothes and living in Himeno's room?"
To deliver such a punchline-loaded question in such a flat tone—Su Tang admired her for it.
He looked down at the wrinkled white shirt on his body and scratched his head.
He'd meant to have Power wash it, but forgot—and had slept in it last night.
Now it smelled like him. He certainly couldn't just give it back to Makima as-is.
So he glanced at the Angel Devil, cleared his throat, and chuckled. "Um, could I trouble you with something?"
"No. Can't do it."
She cut him off, expressionless.
Alright. The fact a devil had the patience to listen to his last sentence was hard enough already.
Su Tang tidied his hair so it looked less messy, put the flaming Tiger Talisman into a small bag, changed shoes, and followed the Angel Devil out.
He'd just change into new clothes at his own clinic after the exam—and have the Shadow Ninjas launder the shirt before returning it.
Just an extra trip.
Simple.
—
The next two days were nothing to write home about.
Su Tang made two trips between Public Safety HQ and his clinic.
One was to return the shirt, though Makima didn't seem to be in, so he handed it to the Angel Devil to deliver instead—this time she sighed and agreed.
The other was now—his exam results were out, and he'd just picked up his certificate.
Sitting in his brand-new office chair, Su Tang crossed one leg over the other in comfort.
He had the certificate. The roof repairs had just been completed. The floors and walls had been cleaned throughout—the whole clinic renewed!
Exhilarating!
He couldn't help standing, walking to the window, and embracing the morning sun.
A brand-new day, a brand-new beginning! He believed he could grow this clinic big and strong and make it thrive this time!
Hahahaha… ha?
"—BOOM!!"
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