LightReader

Chapter 2 - "The Demon's Angelic Contract"

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Andrew looked down at the soft, motionless girl in his arms—Shiina Mahiru. Her golden hair was wet, her eyes lifeless, and she didn't even seem to have the energy to move. A flash of sympathy crossed his eyes.

Every contracted follower gave him different powers based on their soul and personality traits.

Shiina Mahiru's ability was super regeneration, which reflected her gentle, angelic nature.

And yet, he'd taken advantage of her sadness without even telling her his name—he swooped in while she was heartbroken and made her his.

Yep, he was totally a demon.

But why did it feel so good?

Smiling to himself, Andrew gently stroked her damp blonde hair, then picked her up and carried her into the bathroom.

After a hot shower, he carried her back to bed.

He even changed the bedsheets—only fresh sheets could match the comfort.

Aside from a faint blush on her cheeks, Shiina Mahiru didn't say a word. She just stayed quietly in his arms.

She let him hold her.

Her breathing gradually evened out. She must've been too exhausted—she actually fell asleep.

Andrew started thinking back to the anime he'd seen—the one that Shiina Mahiru was from.

Shiina Mahiru was from The Angel Next Door Spoils Me Rotten.

Her dad, Shiina Asahi, and mom, Shiina Sayo, were forced into a marriage for family interests. She was born from a drunken one-night stand.

Her so-called parents didn't care about her at all. They dumped her on a maid named Aunt Xiaoxue to raise.

From a young age, Shiina Mahiru tried her best to be the perfect "angel"—kind, obedient, smart. She worked hard in everything, but no matter what, she could never close the emotional gap with her parents.

The reason she sat alone in the rain that night, completely broken, was because she had finally learned the truth from her mother—she was a child no one ever wanted.

No matter how perfect she was, her parents would never look at her, never come home to eat dinner with her.

To them, she was a walking scar, a constant reminder of their mistake. That's why they could never give her the love she deserved as family.

And all this time, up until high school, she really thought it was because she wasn't good enough. That's why she kept trying so hard.

But after hearing the truth—that all her efforts had meant nothing—her heart just snapped.

That's when she gave up and sat alone on a swing, crying in the rain.

And Andrew had just happened to be the lucky bastard who picked her up.

Now that he understood why she'd broken down like that, Andrew felt more certain than ever.

She was just a girl starving for love.

If that's the case, then fine—he'd take care of her from now on.

She was already his contracted follower. As a demon, there was no way he was letting her go.

He gently ran his hand through her smooth golden hair again, pulled the covers up, and cuddled her close as they fell asleep.

Everything else could wait until tomorrow. Right now, rest was more important.

The Next Morning

Shiina Mahiru slowly opened her eyes, still groggy.

"…Ugh—it hurts…"

A sharp ache from down below made her frown instinctively.

She sat up—and saw the guy sleeping soundly beside her, holding her close.

He was pretty good-looking… tall, dark-haired, handsome.

But…

Did they really do that last night?

Flashes of shameful memories hit her like lightning. Her head buzzed in confusion.

Yeah, she'd been devastated last night—but now that she was more clear-headed…

Regret came crashing in like a tidal wave.

Her eyes started to well up. Sadness, guilt, and frustration all tangled together until tears spilled down her cheeks.

How could she have just given herself away like that?

While she was wallowing in her emotions, Andrew opened his eyes, pulled her back down, and pressed her against the bed.

Without warning, he kissed her.

Mahiru's eyes widened in shock—and then she bit him. Hard.

The taste of blood filled their mouths. A clear message: she was pissed.

But Andrew didn't back off. He endured the pain, tightened his hold on her, and deepened the kiss.

He could regenerate from a decapitation, so what were a few lip bites?

He wasn't going to die from it—might as well show her how he really felt.

Seeing that he still wouldn't let go, Mahiru panicked.

But along with that panic, a strange feeling stirred deep inside her. Her body went soft, her eyes fluttered shut.

Tears rolled down her cheeks as she stopped resisting.

He'd already had his way with her anyway.

What difference would one more time make?

Clutching the bedsheet with trembling pale fingers, she told herself it was just like being bitten by a dog.

Time passed.

Their morning exercise ended.

Andrew gently stroked her golden hair and finally spoke.

"I'm Andrew. First-year student at Seijo high Academy. What about you?"

"…"

Shiina Mahiru shot him a sideways glance but said nothing.

"If you don't answer, I'll kiss you again."

At that, her face turned bright red. She glared at him, furious and embarrassed.

"You seriously pretending not to know my name?! I'm in Class 1-B too! Don't act dumb, you sneaky perv who took advantage of me!"

Andrew looked completely serious. "I honestly didn't know. I got hit by a car on the first day of school. Just got discharged from the hospital today."

That accident was actually the moment he awakened his memories from his previous life and got his demon system.

Mahiru blinked in surprise. "Wait, you're that guy everyone was talking about? The one who got hit by a car on day one?"

Andrew winced. "Yep. That's me—the super unlucky one."

"But now… I think my luck's turned around."

As he said that, he pulled her close, letting her feel the warmth of his body.

Mahiru's face went even redder. She pushed him weakly, looking at him with teary eyes.

"D-Don't… I'm still sore…"

Andrew chuckled and kissed her again, lightly this time. "Relax. I won't mess with you anymore."

"Still… What are the chances, huh? Turns out we're classmates."

Mahiru just stared at him, then turned away with a pout.

Andrew knew she wasn't ready for all this. It had happened too fast. So he leaned in and whispered in her ear:

"I'll take responsibility."

Mahiru immediately pinched his arm and glared at him.

"Dream on! You think you can just keep bullying me? I'm not that stupid!"

Andrew blinked. "So… I don't need to take responsibility?"

"Hmph. Nope! Just stay away from me, and forget everything that happened yesterday and today!"

With that, she pushed him away, sat up, and started looking for her clothes.

When she saw her crumpled black stockings on the floor, her face turned red again, and she cursed in her head.

Did he think stockings were free or something?! He freaking tore them up like a total perv!

She quickly put on her underwear, school uniform, and skirt, then limped out of his room and rushed back to hers.

Inside the bathroom, she broke down, washing her pale body while crying silently. She was completely lost.

As a demon, Andrew could sense the condition of his contracted followers. He used his powers to see Mahiru crying, and his heart ached.

But what's done was done—regret wouldn't help.

Besides, even if he had the chance to do it all over again, he wouldn't change a thing.

A girl this good? You had to act fast—otherwise, some punk with blonde hair would swoop in and steal her away.

Now all he could do was slowly warm her heart and get her to accept him.

And really, things weren't that bad. He and Mahiru were already as close as two people could get.

Shiina the little angel… was definitely wife material.

"..."

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

More Chapters