Loneliness and solitude aren't the same.
The lonely crave connection, fearing the silence of being alone. The solitary, though—they move through life untouched by others' opinions, self-contained, sometimes even a little arrogant.
Draconis was firmly in the latter camp, but he wasn't your typical recluse.
Most people who keep to themselves don't realize how off-putting it can be. Draconis knew. He wore his mask with intent, blending in when he needed to, always ready with a smile or the right topic. To most, he seemed easygoing—someone you could chat with about anything.
But only those who truly knew him understood just how dangerous he could be.
Rias and her friends saw through the act. Around them, Draconis dropped the fake smiles and let his true self show—cool, collected, and far too mature for his age.
Classes passed quietly, nothing special—just another day in the life of an ordinary student. Except for the constant hum of power beneath his skin, reminding him he wasn't human anymore.
After school, it was time for club activities.
Draconis finished his cleaning duties, arriving at the club room a little late. The sound of running water greeted him—someone was showering in the club's bathroom.
Clothes were neatly folded on the sofa, with a stack of delicate, lacy garments on top. The bathroom curtain was fogged and half-translucent, a graceful silhouette moving behind it.
Akeno and Koneko were present, so it had to be Rias bathing.
She really did love her baths.
Draconis nodded to the girls in greeting and dropped onto the sofa. He glanced at Koneko, who was, predictably, munching on something yet again. He couldn't help but smile—she never seemed to gain a pound.
Well, she's a devil, after all. No way she'd ever get fat.
"Vice President, what do we actually do for club activities?" he asked.
Akeno smiled, gentle as ever. "The Occult Research Club is just a cover. Our real job is to hand out flyers—find people willing to summon us devils and sign contracts."
She was holding Rias's change of clothes, moving with the practiced care of someone who'd done this a hundred times. Akeno wasn't just Rias's first servant—she was more like a big sister, always looking out for her.
"Flyers?" Draconis blinked. "Devils hand out flyers?"
Koneko wordlessly handed him a sheet of paper.
He took it, noticing the purple magic circle drawn on its surface. Now that he was a devil, he could feel the faint pulse of magic in the paper.
Just then, the curtain parted and Rias emerged—hair damp, wrapped in a towel, bare shoulders and collarbone gleaming, long pale legs exposed beneath the hem. Bare feet padded softly across the floor, droplets of water glimmering on her skin, a subtle, sweet scent drifting through the air.
Cold beauty, mature allure, wild temptation—Rias embodied all three.
If the boys at school saw her now, there'd be riots.
Too bad for them. This view was for Draconis alone.
Rias took the towel from Akeno, drying her hair as she continued, "I mentioned before—devils gain power by making contracts with humans. To do that, we have to advertise ourselves first. Flyers are step one."
Draconis opened his mouth, then closed it. This was… not what he'd expected from devils.
Handing out flyers. How mundane.
Rias caught his expression and smiled. "Normally, we'd let our Familiars do the distributing. Our real job is to fulfill the wishes of those who summon us, make sure they're happy to sign a contract, and draw power from that bond."
Akeno added, "Next time the Familiar Forest opens, we'll help you find your own Familiar."
She patted Draconis's shoulder, her smile warm. "But for now, every devil starts with flyers. It's a rite of passage."
No arguing with tradition. Draconis accepted the thick stack of summoning circle flyers from Koneko with a calm nod.
"Good luck," Koneko murmured.
He noticed a crumb at the corner of her mouth, pulled out a tissue, and handed it over, tapping his own cheek in silent reminder.
"I'm heading out, then," Draconis said.
Rias winked. "Go get 'em."
Flyer stack in hand, Draconis made his way to the busiest street in town.
Honestly, handing out flyers for devil summoning circles in broad daylight—wasn't that asking to get arrested for superstition or something?
He couldn't help but wonder. Some part of him still struggled with the idea of devils hustling for business on the sidewalk.
Then again, maybe more people knew about devils than he realized.
Shrugging, he put on his best professional smile and started working the crowd.
"Check out our latest fortune-telling and wish-granting service!"
"Excuse me—would you like to learn about our new wish-granting event?"
"Hello… please take a look…"
He'd done this before, in another life. Not much had changed—most people waved him off, some ignored him completely, a few took flyers out of politeness. He knew most wouldn't even glance at the paper before tossing it aside. Only a handful stopped, curious enough to ask a question or two.
After a few hours, the stack was nearly gone.
Just a few left. Almost done.
He spotted a striking figure approaching and flashed his practiced smile, stepping forward.
"Hello—our club's newest fortune-telling and wish-granting service. Care to check it out?"
The girl looked genuinely surprised.
"Well, this is unexpected. You can actually see me…"
Draconis paused, head tilted, eyes narrowing in confusion. "…??"
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