Inside the park.
Yukino followed the black cat to a pond. The black cat walked on the water, sat down, then turned to look at her, and meowed. Yukino, with lifeless eyes, walked towards the pond.
Just as she was about to reach the edge—
"Yukinoshita!"
As Shizuka's voice rang out, Yukino visibly paused.
The cat yokai on the lake surface looked at Shizuka with some displeasure. Its blood-red eyes stared intently at Shizuka.
Shizuka shivered under the cat's gaze, but still grabbed Yukino and started running.
This action annoyed the cat yokai on the lake surface. But annoyance aside, its prey couldn't be allowed to escape. It chased after them at high speed.
Yukino, being pulled along, woke up, realizing that she and Hiratsuka-sensei were running in a park.
"Hiratsuka-sensei!? Where am I? I... wasn't I feeding cats?" Yukino's brain was filled with questions.
Wasn't she feeding stray cats in the park?
How did she end up here, and what was happening now?
Why was I here? Why was Hiratsuka-sensei pulling her as if they were escaping?
"Since you're awake, hurry up..."
Shizuka stopped mid-sentence, looking ahead with a serious expression.
Yukino saw Shizuka suddenly stop and her expression turn serious, so she looked in the same direction as Shizuka. She saw a black cat in front of them.
"What a cute cat," was her first impression.
But the next second, Yukino's worldview shattered.
The formerly cute black cat walked towards her, but with each step, it grew larger. In a short while, the cat transformed from a tiny creature into one over two meters tall, its eyes crimson, and its fangs exposed.
Yukino's eyes widened, her heart filled with fear and shock.
What... what is this?
In the past, Shizuka would have been shocked, but now that she was a devil, what was there to be shocked about?
She took off her white coat and threw it towards Yukino, who subconsciously caught it.
"Yukinoshita, you go to the side first, I'll handle this here." Shizuka said, then rolled up her sleeves to her arms.
Although she didn't know why Shizuka said that, she understood that she would only be a hindrance here, so Yukino retreated to the side, hugging the coat.
Shizuka stretched her wrists, her eyes fixed on the cat yokai before her. "I've been a devil for so many days and haven't tested my strength yet. Since you've come to my door, let's see what I can do now."
Listening to Shizuka's words, the cat yokai's eyes revealed a look of mockery. It spoke, "You've only been a devil for a few days, and you're already so arrogant. So what if you have a master? As long as I kill you, I can roam anywhere I want. Are you afraid of being caught or something?"
In just an instant, the cat yokai appeared in front of Shizuka, who hadn't expected it to be so fast. The cat yokai's right claw was raised high.
Swish!
"Hiratsuka-sensei!" Yukino shouted.
'I'm going to die!'
Shizuka subconsciously closed her eyes, but the pain she expected never came. Instead, she heard the cat yokai's painful wail and her man's voice.
"Little kitty, I just heard you say you were going to attack my subordinate."
Shizuka opened her eyes, only to see Abel standing in front of her. The cat yokai had a smooth cut on its front leg, the severed leg lay not far away.
Seeing that Shizuka was fine, Yukino quickly ran over.
"Pl-please spare me." The cat yokai said tremblingly.
"Spare you?"
Abel thought for a moment and continued, "Alright, fight my subordinate again. If you win, you can do as you please. If you lose, you leave your life behind."
"Okay, sir. No problem, sir." The cat yokai nodded without hesitation.
Better to live a bad life than to die. The world is vast, surely there is a place for this cat.
Abel looked at Shizuka. "Come here."
Shizuka obediently walked over, just about to speak.
To Yukino's shocked gaze, he pinched Shizuka's chin and kissed her.
Youth, activated again.
Yukino hadn't expected the seemingly serious Shizuka to... no, this wasn't the time to be thinking about that.
There's still a monster!
Meanwhile, Shizuka, immersed in the kiss, felt something enter her body, hot and warm.
After a while, they separated. Shizuka covered her face, unable to look at her student. She actually did that in front of her.
"Alright, you've been strengthened. Shizuka, I choose you. Go."
Shizuka took a deep breath, looking at the cat yokai before her. The cat yokai likewise stared at Shizuka with fierce eyes.
As long as I take care of this devil who doesn't know her place, I can leave.
"All evil will fear the victory residing within me!" Shizuka involuntarily uttered this sentence. Then, her magical girl transformation began.
After a while, Shizuka, dressed in a fighter's combat uniform, had her hands wrapped in bandages and wore gauntlets.
At this moment, the cat yokai sensed that something was wrong. It vaguely saw the illusory figures of a bull and a raptor behind Shizuka.
Never mind, I'll strike first!
It lunged at Shizuka, moving faster than before.
Shizuka remained calm. With the Raptor's boost, she was slightly faster than the cat yokai and appeared in front of the cat yokai.
The illusory figure of the "Bull" merged into her body, greatly increasing her strength.
Looking at the cat yokai before her, Shizuka threw a punch with her bandaged gauntlet. The cat yokai quickly dodged, but was still hit in the abdomen.
Shizuka followed up wih a roundhouse kick. The cat yokai bled profusely, then flew backward.
"So... so strong." Yukino couldn't help but exclaim as she watched her teacher.
Then she looked at the white-haired young man beside her. Just kissing him could make one so strong. In that case...
"Hey, what are you thinking?"
"Nothing." Yukino quickly shook the thoughts from her head.
Looking at the cat yokai, Yukino asked Abel, "This cat is..."
"A yokai."
"A yokai?"
Abel explained, "There are many supernatural creatures in this world, and cat yokais are one of them. They get stronger by killing people."
Yukino nodded, then asked, "Then what about Hiratsuka-sensei and you?"
"We are devils."
Abel sent an invitation to Yukino, "Do you want to become a devil, and be my subordinate?"
Yukino shook her head. "No. I haven't reached the point of abandoning my human identity."
"I see." Abel nodded, indicating his understanding.
If she had agreed directly, she wouldn't be Yukino.
However, young lady, once you discover the truth of the world, you will quickly become deeply immersed in it.