"Transformation Ability?"
Jahy froze for a moment before she finally reacted.
"This is not a transformation. My current appearance is my true form.
That childish look from before was merely my weakened state after losing my magic.
That said, there is magic that allows transformation, but you are a human. You possess no magic, so you cannot learn it."
"Tch, how boring."
Tanaka Masao instantly lost interest.
He knew that so-called magic resided within those red magic stones.
But since humans were cursed if they came into contact with magic stones, there was obviously no way he could ever use them.
Just then, a sound echoed.
"Guu~ guu~"
Both of them lowered their heads at the same time, looking at their own stomachs.
Because her magic power was still insufficient, Jahy's body was rather weak right now. Her stomach was reminding her that she needed food to replenish her energy.
As for Tanaka Masao, he had just returned from Tokyo, and it happened to be mealtime.
"There's a shopping street nearby. Let's grab something to eat."
Jahy, who had been clutching her stomach and feeling that the growling noise was damaging her dignity, instantly lit up when she heard that.
"There's food? I'm going too."
Seeing Jahy following him, Tanaka Masao didn't chase her away, only giving her a reminder.
"Just so you know, I'm not paying for you."
"Pay? What do you mean, pay?"
In the Demon Realm, strength was everything, and Jahy was the second-in-command.
Whenever she wanted something, she only had to say the word. She had no idea what "paying" even meant.
"Enough already, stop dawdling. Take me to eat, I'm starving to death."
·····
Urged along by Jahy, the two of them arrived at a nearby commercial street.
Because Jahy was extremely beautiful and dressed very revealingly, she attracted a lot of attention.
Even Tanaka Masao, walking beside her, ended up drawing plenty of looks.
Faced with all that attention, Jahy herself didn't care in the slightest.
Tanaka Masao, on the other hand, was the first to crack.
"I'm saying, Jahy, can't you wear a bit more? Walking around dressed like that, people are going to think you're a weirdo."
Hearing this, Jahy looked at herself, then at the people around her.
She had been wearing this outfit for who knew how many years and had never thought there was anything wrong with it. Confused, she asked:
"This outfit perfectly shows my charm. What's wrong with it? Whatever. I'm ignoring you. I'm going to eat."
With that, Jahy stopped paying attention to Tanaka Masao and ran off to find food.
"You don't have any money."
Watching Jahy run off and disappear without paying him any mind, Tanaka Masao felt a bit helpless.
"Well, she is a demon. She can use magic. She should be fine… probably."
Thinking that, Tanaka Masao didn't chase after her and instead found a nearby shop to eat at himself.
·····
More than ten minutes later, Tanaka Masao walked down the street, feeling far from satisfied.
"Sigh… If only I hadn't had that indulgent meal at Eriri's place yesterday."
Looking at all the tempting snacks lining the street, Tanaka Masao—who had just eaten something very light—felt hungry again.
"Maybe I'll just get one dorayaki? Just one shouldn't make much of a difference, right? And Yukinoshita won't even know."
"No, no, no. Once there's a first time, there'll be a second. At this rate, my diet is definitely going to fail."
Just as Tanaka Masao was locked in a fierce internal battle, he heard a commotion up ahead.
Seeing a crowd gathering, he temporarily forgot about food and walked over to check it out.
After only a few steps, he heard a familiar voice.
"What are you doing?! Let go of me at once! I am the second-in-command of the Demon Realm! Be careful, or I won't be polite!"
Tanaka Masao stopped in his tracks.
That voice—there was no doubt about it. It was Jahy.
From the sound of it, she had been caught by someone.
No need to think too hard—this was definitely because she hadn't paid.
But wasn't she the second-in-command of the Demon Realm? She had even recovered her magic stone and regained her power. How was she still getting caught so easily?
...
Elsewhere, Jahy—who had been drawing attention for her strange outfit—had long since been on the police's radar.
Ten minutes earlier, faced with a dazzling array of food, she had grabbed a piece from this stall and a bite from that one.
Since she didn't pay, it didn't take long for the police to catch her.
Pinned down by two officers, Jahy struggled indignantly.
However, the amount of magic she currently possessed only gave her the physical strength of an average adult woman. It was nowhere near enough to break free from police custody.
At that moment, she suddenly spotted Tanaka Masao in the crowd and hurriedly shouted:
"Hey, Tanaka! Get over here and save me!"
Following the direction of Jahy's shout, everyone turned their gaze toward Tanaka Masao.
Seeing the people around him consciously making way, Tanaka Masao walked forward.
The police officer looked at him and asked:
"Are you her friend? She bought food without paying. If you can settle the bill, we won't take her back to the station."
This really wasn't a big deal. Even if they took her to the police station, it would just be a verbal warning, then calling her family to pick her up.
So if it could be resolved on the spot, the police preferred not to make it troublesome.
Hearing that she could be released if someone paid, Jahy immediately urged Tanaka Masao:
"Hey, Tanaka! Hurry up and pay for me!"
At this point, Jahy knew that she couldn't escape on her own. The only option was to ask the only human she knew—Tanaka Masao—for help.
Tanaka Masao looked at the police, then at Jahy, who was being restrained, struggling nonstop, her expression anxious. He didn't say anything.
Seeing Tanaka Masao remain silent, Jahy grew even more panicked. She didn't want to be taken away and locked up. If that happened, how was she supposed to search for magic stones?
Suddenly, she remembered that Tanaka Masao had told her earlier that he wouldn't pay for her.
Jahy clenched her teeth.
[For the sake of freedom… it seems I have no choice.]
"Tanaka, as long as you help me, I'll agree to any request you make."
[As long as I get out of this first, whether I actually keep that promise will depend on my mood.]
Jahy thought to herself.
The onlookers widened their eyes when they heard that, then started giving Jahy strange looks, whispering among themselves.
"I knew it. That's why she's dressed like that—she's obviously a compensated dating girl."
"What a shame… such a pretty girl, doing this for money…"
"What's there to be ashamed of? I wonder how much she charges. Think we can get her contact info?"
...
Tanaka Masao let out a helpless sigh. He decided to help Jahy.
It wasn't because of her offer to grant any request.
It was just empty promises and pie-in-the-sky talk. Not worth believing.
He was helping simply because he didn't want this farce to drag on any longer.
"Officer, may I ask how much it is in total?"
Seeing that Tanaka Masao was ready to pay, the police officer took out the bill they had just recorded from the vendors.