Seeing the bewildered expressions of the reporters, Mai finally realized—this was the true nature of the devil known as Ryuya Kurobane.
Until now, he had always acted so ordinary—calm, mild-mannered, and polite. He looked no different from any normal high school boy. Mai had even begun to forget that he was a devil she had once summoned.
But at this very moment, she finally understood—Ryuya's power was far greater than she had ever imagined.
Ryuya watched the confused reporters and the nearby students who had gathered to watch, a flicker of amusement in his eyes. Since the opportunity presented itself, perhaps it was a good time to test another application of his spellcraft.
Devils and angels both possessed similar arts—each could be used in two distinct ways: one to alter common sense, and the other to erase memory entirely.
Now, Ryuya wanted to try the second effect—just to see how it worked in practice.
"What are you planning now?" Mai immediately sensed trouble from the look on his face.
"Well, I just told them I'm your boyfriend, but since you're right in the middle of your comeback, I figured it might be better to keep that under wraps for now. So I thought I'd wipe their memories of what just happened. What do you think?"
Ryuya's casual smile made Mai's face turn a faint shade of red.
"Y-you're right… Having a boyfriend could really affect my career right now."
"Oh? So that's how you really think of it? You wound me, my dear girlfriend," Ryuya said with exaggerated sorrow.
But his acting was far from convincing—Mai saw right through him at once.
"That so-called 'boyfriend' title is something someone gave himself. I haven't officially acknowledged it."
"Oh? So you were just waiting for me to make it official?" Ryuya raised an eyebrow in mock surprise.
"Of course." Mai flashed a mischievous smile.
Unbothered by her teasing, Ryuya didn't push the topic further. Instead, he snapped his fingers toward the reporters and the dazed students.
Instantly, all of them blinked in confusion, looking around as if they had just woken from a dream.
"Huh? Why am I here?"
"Wait, what's going on? Is there some news happening?"
One voice after another echoed in the crowd. None of them remembered a thing about the earlier rumors concerning Sakurajima Mai—they were completely gone.
Just then, a sharp-eyed reporter noticed Ryuya and Mai standing together nearby.
Her eyes went wide in shock.
She recognized Mai immediately, of course—but what stunned her was the sight of a young man holding her hand!
For a brief moment, the reporter felt like she had just stumbled upon the scoop of the century.
Sakurajima Mai… has a boyfriend?!
A huge scandal!
That's Sakurajima Mai, for crying out loud!
"Quick! Q-Quick, quick, quick!!"
She frantically pointed toward Mai and Ryuya, shouting at the cameraman beside her, "Hurry up and get a shot of them!!"
Mai froze for a second.
"Oh crap… I forgot they can see me now," Ryuya muttered, slapping his forehead in frustration.
Mai shot him a sideways glance.
Somehow… she had the feeling he'd done that on purpose.
But, of course, she had no proof.
In the next moment, the all-too-familiar scene repeated itself—reporters raised their cameras and microphones, surrounding them once again.
"Miss Mai, is this young man your boyfriend?" one of them asked eagerly.
A flicker of embarrassment crossed Mai's eyes, but she quickly regained her composure and faced the camera with her usual calm grace.
"Yes," she said clearly. "He's my boyfriend."
Ryuya smiled faintly from beside her. "So… this time, it's official?"
Mai's cheeks flushed crimson. Without answering, she stepped on his foot under the table—hard—while maintaining a sweet, flawless smile for the cameras.
"..."
The reporters, thoroughly satisfied with the massive scoop they had just captured, were already imagining the sensational headlines they'd write later. The sound of camera shutters filled the air, drawing even more curious onlookers from all around.
The students nearby also turned their heads, drawn in by the sight of Ryuya and Mai.
Just as the reporters were about to fire off more questions, Ryuya raised his hand to stop them. His gaze fell on Sakurajima Mai, and with a calm, almost teasing smile, he said—
"With so many witnesses here, I've fulfilled the promise I made to you. So… isn't it about time we signed our contract?"
Mai blinked, momentarily stunned, before remembering their agreement. Her heart skipped a beat, unease rising within her.
"W-We can sign the contract now? What do I need to do?"
"Are you ready?"
"…Yeah."
"Then—kiss me."
"...Huh?" Mai froze, her face turning bright red. "Y-You didn't say it would be like this before!"
Ryuya spoke as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "If I'd told you up front, you definitely would've ignored me, right?"
He wasn't wrong. Not only would she have ignored him, she probably would've called the police.
Mai was speechless.
Ah… as annoying as it was, he had a point.
"Don't tell me you're backing out now?" Ryuya sighed lightly, feigning disappointment.
"I—I'm not that kind of person," Mai quickly clarified.
Then, steeling herself, she stepped forward, wrapped her arms around his neck—and kissed him.
The moment their lips met, her whole body stiffened in nervous shock.
"Woooaaahhh!!"
The reporters froze for half a second—then erupted in wild cheers. Cameras started flashing in rapid succession, their shutters clicking like machine guns.
If they could've flown 360 degrees around the couple for aerial shots, they absolutely would have.
After all, Sakurajima Mai had never filmed a kiss scene before. For the entertainment reporters, this was a bombshell of the century!
Even the students watching from afar were stunned. Mai had always been distant and aloof since transferring to the school. Everyone thought she was the type who kept to herself and never got close to anyone—
And now this?!
After two or three seconds, Mai broke away from the kiss, glancing around as if checking to see if anything had changed.
"Did… did the contract work?" she asked, a bit uncertain.
Ryuya's lips curved upward. "Not yet. Maybe we should try again?"
Mai: "...??"
She stared blankly for a second before her sharp mind caught up.
Wait a second… this guy's totally lying to me, isn't he?!
"You…"
Her beautiful eyes blinked in disbelief, her face caught between confusion and exasperation.
What a shameless guy!
Ryuya wore a satisfied grin, pretending to act casual. "Hmm, even if the contract didn't go through, that still felt pretty nice."
Then he turned toward the reporters, clapping his hands to get their attention.
"Alright, everyone—show's over. You've had your dose of sugar for the day. Send me the photos you took, then delete everything before you head home, okay?"
He activated his spell again. Instantly, the entire crowd of reporters went glassy-eyed. Under his influence, they obediently sent every photo to Ryuya, deleted the originals, and then left one by one like puppets on strings.
Watching the bizarre scene unfold, Mai could only sigh helplessly.
Those poor reporters… he totally played them for fools.
Looking at him now, she thought—yeah, he really is a Devil after all.
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