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Forgetting the absurdity of a devil crashing headfirst into her bathroom, Draconis and Mai Sakurajima's meeting had, all things considered, gone surprisingly normal.
To Mai, Draconis didn't fit her idea of a devil at all. He wasn't menacing or cruel—if you ignored the wings and the magic, you could mistake him for any other guy off the street.
Of course, she had no idea that, just a few days ago, he actually had been an ordinary human.
Draconis broke the silence. "Why don't you tell me your story first?"
He leaned forward, voice steady. "If we're going to fix this, I need to know where it started."
Mai hesitated, a shadow crossing her face. But she knew she had to talk about it, so she treated Draconis as a confessor and began to open up.
"I started acting when I was six. After starring in a morning drama, it was TV, movies, commercials—always under the spotlight. Wherever I went, people talked about 'Mai Sakurajima.' At some point, I started wishing I could go somewhere no one knew me."
Draconis frowned slightly. So this whole situation was rooted in her own wish?
"In other words, your wish came true. Just… not the way you imagined."
He sat back, arms folded, summing up her predicament.
Mai nodded. "Yeah, but the wish twisted itself. Instead of people forgetting who I am, now nobody can see me at all."
Her voice faltered, frustration bleeding through.
Draconis smirked. So her supernatural power had glitched.
"Figures. Life's all about never getting what you actually want."
His dry remark earned a wry smile from Mai—and a little surprise.
"A devil talking to me about life lessons?"
He chuckled. "Lucky for me, I don't have to worry about life. Otherwise, with how long I'm going to live, I'd have way too much time to overthink."
Mai's lips twitched. "That sounds suspiciously like schadenfreude."
"Not at all." Draconis's smile was cool, almost arrogant. "From what you've described, I think I get it. This is all about 'atmosphere.' Your power's tangled up in it."
He'd heard Rias talk about how humans gained abilities. Most supernatural powers came from desire. Sometimes, a person's longing was so strong it resonated with a Sacred Gear—those legendary artifacts that could slay gods. The top ten were called Longinus, but there were more out there; thirteen in total, if the stories were true.
Mai's situation wasn't on the level of a Sacred Gear, but the source was the same: human desire.
She listened, confused. "What do you mean, 'atmosphere'?"
"It's simple," Draconis explained. "As long as you're alive, you're part of some circle—school, society, whatever. If you stand out too much, you'll always hear whispers behind your back. People call you arrogant, or get jealous."
He spoke as if from experience, voice calm and measured.
"That's why I learned to play along, to avoid sticking out. But you? You were a child star. Now you're a celebrity. You can't help shining. It's only natural people would distance themselves. To them, you're untouchable."
Mai absorbed his words. She'd always felt pushed into that "high and mighty" role, not by choice, but by the way society sorted itself into ranks.
"I guess there's nothing to be done," she murmured.
"Yeah. Fighting against atmosphere is exhausting." Draconis sighed. "Most people can't ignore it. The rare ones who don't care what others think? They just get labeled as weirdos."
He shook his head. "Anyway, I've got two ideas for fixing your situation."
Mai blinked. "Seriously?"
She was still lost, with no real leads, and Draconis already had two solutions?
He raised a finger. "First, we find where your condition started and stir up some explosive rumor about you—the bigger, the better. It's the perfect weapon against atmosphere."
"Like what?"
He grinned. "I dunno. 'Superstar Mai Sakurajima's secret romance exposed—dumped by her playboy boyfriend'? Something like that?"
Mai didn't miss a beat. "I'll take option two."
Draconis pursed his lips. "Rejected so fast? I was even going to offer to play the fake playboy boyfriend."
"You underestimate the media. Even if it's all made up, they'll swarm you like ants."
Mai's warning was sharp—she knew exactly how ruthless the press could be. Draconis's plan would only set her up for disaster.
But Draconis was unfazed. "Of course I know. That's exactly what I'm counting on."
He met her gaze, his words flat but heavy.
"I don't bet on human goodness—I bet on human evil. I don't bet they want you to live. I bet they want me dead."
Mai stared at him, stunned.
Those words landed like a punch to the chest—spoken so casually, but with an edge that made her heart skip.
After a long moment, she managed, "…I don't need you to do that. Tell me the second option."
Draconis paused, then answered softly, "Second option's slower. We still have to find where it all started. Then, we try to change how people see you—get them to remember you, bit by bit. But honestly… odds of success are low."
If he had his way, he'd go with the first method. Didn't have to be a fake romance—any scandal would do, as long as Mai played the victim and someone else took the fall as the villain.
But for now, the choice was hers.
…
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