Ryuya couldn't quite make sense of what the girl in front of him had just said.
What did she mean by "You can actually see me?"
He gave her a closer look.
She wore an ordinary high school uniform, but her overall presence was anything but ordinary—she had the air of a languid, mature beauty.
Her limbs were long and slender, her figure perfectly balanced, like a model sculpted with flawless proportions.
Her eyes were calm and deep, and though her face was small and delicate, her serious expression gave her an air of quiet authority—a mature charm that drew attention without effort.
"What do you mean by 'you can actually see me'?" Ryuya asked, puzzled.
The girl replied flatly, her tone calm and matter-of-fact.
"Just what it sounds like."
"…Well, I can see you just fine," Ryuya said aloud, though his thoughts were running in a different direction.
Wait… is she some kind of ghost?
Maybe I can see her because I've got a devil's body now?
Rias never mentioned anything about beautiful ghosts existing in this world…
"Don't tell me… other people can't see you?" he asked cautiously.
"Unfortunately, yes," the girl replied. "It's not like it causes me any major problems, but… it's still pretty annoying."
Her tone remained calm and even throughout, her face unreadable.
Hearing that, Ryuya relaxed slightly. The girl didn't seem dangerous.
At the very least, his devil instincts didn't sense any hostility from her.
"Well then," he said, switching back into salesman mode, "how about taking a look at our fortune-telling and wish-granting service? Maybe your wish could come true."
It suddenly occurred to him that this girl might be an ideal contract target.
Still… why did she look so familiar?
Where had he seen her before?
While he was mulling it over, the girl—perhaps a little comforted that someone could actually see her—reached out and took the flyer from his hand.
"Eh… what's this? A magic circle? What kind of superstitious nonsense are you promoting?"
See! I knew people would think that! Ryuya groaned inwardly.
Recovering quickly, he put on his best customer-service smile.
"No, no, it's nothing like that. It's an event our club is hosting—fortune-telling and wish-granting. Very effective! They say keeping one of these brings you good luck."
"…Occult Research Club?" the girl murmured, reading the name printed at the bottom.
Her eyes flickered with interest.
Her current situation—being invisible to others—was definitely something that belonged in the realm of the occult.
She tucked the flyer into her bag and looked at Ryuya.
"I'll take a look when I have time. See you."
"Of course. Thank you very much," Ryuya replied with a polite smile.
The girl turned and began walking away. But after a few steps, she suddenly stopped and looked back at him curiously.
"Huh… that's strange. There's something off about him. His smile looks so fake… Could he be some up-and-coming actor or something?"
With that, she shrugged and disappeared into the crowd, not giving him another glance.
Unbeknownst to her, Ryuya heard every word crystal clear.
After all, ever since becoming a devil, his senses had been enhanced to terrifying levels—he could easily pick up voices from hundreds of meters away.
He winced internally. I thought my acting was decent… Didn't expect to get called out like that.
Wait—hold on. Did she say… actor?
Sakurajima Mai.
The name surfaced in his mind a moment later, and Ryuya's expression subtly shifted.
So that's who she was.
The legendary "invisible actress."
Ryuya suddenly thought of something and froze for a moment.
"No wonder she felt familiar…"
He looked up at a nearby building. On the display screen mounted to its façade an advertisement was playing, and the girl who had just left was smiling sweetly in it.
"Sakurajima Mai…"
He read the name listed under the brand ambassador in the ad and blinked.
So she wasn't just an actress—she was a high-level celebrity. No wonder she'd seen through him in an instant; he'd run into a true professional, not some amateur…
And—so she wasn't a ghost after all.
Ryuya reflected. Apparently this world also had humans with strange abilities. Well, angels, demons, and yokai already existed here; a few supernaturally-gifted humans weren't so surprising.
He shrugged and got back to handing out the remaining flyers.
He'd distributed a fair number today—he wondered whether anyone would actually activate those summoning circles and call a devil like him over.
Ryuya was eager for contract partners; after all, demons could only draw power from contracts. To grow stronger, he needed beings to bind with him.
…
When he finished work, Ryuya prepared to go home.
Walking alone, he thought about the teleportation techniques Rias and the others used. According to Akeno, that was a skill only higher-ranked demons could perform. At his current novice level, he was nowhere near capable. If he could learn teleportation, life would be a lot more convenient.
To level up, he had to sign contracts; to sign contracts, he had to keep handing out flyers and hunting for potential partners. He was still very much at the starting line.
Ryuya sighed inwardly. Suddenly his body tensed as if gripped—his heart skipped half a beat.
A demon's instinct had triggered; a sense of danger rushed toward him. Something threatening was approaching.
He slowed and narrowed his eyes, scanning ahead. Night had fallen and the street was empty, but ever since becoming a devil, his nighttime vision had grown sharper than by day.
Black feathers drifted down through the sky. A seductive woman with inky black wings descended slowly and alighted on the ground.
A fallen angel!?
Ryuya frowned and swore under his breath. He hadn't expected to run into a fallen angel so soon.
She'd clearly spotted him first. Her clothing was outrageously scant—little more than a few strips of cloth covering vital spots—yet she was surprisingly attractive. Still, the heavy black eye shadow on her lids gave her an odd, uncanny air despite the seductiveness.
"There's actually a lowly demon like you here? How troublesome. Killing such a weak thing would be boring—too dirty for my Light Lance."
The fallen angel's voice dripped with contempt; the murderous intent in her eyes was unmistakable. Although a peace treaty had long existed between the three factions, hostility remained beneath the surface—angels, demons, and fallen angels still tended to want one another dead on sight.
Hearing the fallen angel belittle him, Ryuya wasn't about to be polite. He pressed his lips together and muttered:
"Seeing such a flashy bitch this late at night… my middle finger can't help but stir."
The fallen angel: "..."
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