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Chapter 57 - "The Miko and the Demon"

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While Andrew and sweet little angel Mahiru were all lovey-dovey and enjoying themselves, things were a lot less cheerful on Yukino Yukinoshita's side.

She couldn't sleep.

No matter how much she tossed and turned, she just couldn't fall asleep.

After being messed with like that by someone—kissed, hugged—and the worst part? She was the one who started it in the first place.

Yeah… she'd tried to use herself as a bargaining chip to free her sister.

But then things took a completely unexpected turn.

Now that she'd calmed down, Yukino started reflecting on herself.

First off—Because Andrew was a demon, she'd assumed he was like those manipulative villains from fairy tales, the type that bewitches people and steals their hearts. She misunderstood him, thinking he'd used some shady trick to brainwash her sister and take away her freedom.

That was just… wrong.

A daughter of the Yukinoshita family shouldn't repay kindness with betrayal.

Second—That jerk actually had a point.

When she was paralyzed in bed, that so-called angel never answered her calls for help, never even showed up to comfort her tearful, worried sister.

Instead, it was the "demon" who gave her sister hope—hope to keep living.

He even cured her. That was already a massive favor.

And yet she'd assumed from the start that he was some ultimate bad guy, like the kind of demon in fairy tales who only brings misfortune. She'd wanted her sister to cancel the contract with him.

That was also wrong. And when you mess up, you have to admit it.

Yukino Yukinoshita wasn't the type to run from her mistakes just because she couldn't handle losing.

Thinking about that, she felt a little lighter inside.

She'd been so worried about her sister that her thoughts had been in chaos. Then, hiding under the bed, she'd heard those… shameful noises of "that guy" messing with her sister.

Naturally, she'd panicked and said some irrational things.

Now that she'd calmed down, she decided—tomorrow, she'd apologize to Andrew.

If you're wrong, you apologize. Simple as that.

But… hey, wait a sec. Did that jerk not make any mistakes?

He totally tricked her into thinking that if she offered herself, the contract with her sister would be lifted.

Unbelievable.

And he didn't even hold back!

He went straight in for a kiss, then later complained she was too stupid, called her a "beautiful idiot," looked down on her, and called it "teaching" her.

Yeah, "teaching" her all sorts of indecent stuff.

And then—he even made her show such humiliating, shameful expressions.

Nope. That part—being deceived and humiliated—she was not going to forgive so easily.

Lastly—she still needed to figure out a way to restrain his power.

If she didn't, what if he got even worse and bullied her sister mercilessly in the future?

Absolutely not.

Yukino Yukinoshita couldn't just sit back and watch.

Besides, if he wasn't actually the type of demon from fairy tales who manipulates people and brings misfortune, then she'd just have to guide him in the right direction—keep him from turning into a threat to humanity, or even the whole world.

Once she'd thought that through, Yukino suddenly had a new goal, and she felt the weight of her responsibility.

The next morning—With dark circles under her eyes, Yukino made breakfast and a lunchbox, leaving a portion for her sister before heading off to school.

Her sister had suffered so much last night, being bullied by that guy. There was no way she could get up early to cook today.

So Yukino did it herself.

When she got to the gates of St. White Emperor Academy, she quietly waited.

She didn't know which class Andrew was in, so she planned to intercept him here.

Suddenly, a petite girl in a kimono caught her attention.

The girl had long, deep-blue hair and a delicate little face, looking a bit reserved.

She walked slowly into the campus, her expression completely calm.

Yukino was puzzled.

Was this girl also a student at St. White Emperor Academy?

But wearing a kimono to class—wasn't that against school rules?

Right now, Yukino had no idea that the very person she was looking for—the one who could restrain the demon's power—was standing right in front of her.

This adorable, small, and slightly airheaded beauty was no ordinary person.

She was the heir of the Shironomiya family—Isumi Shironomiya, also known as the "Miko of Light."

Izumi possessed one of the highest levels of spiritual power in the entire world, the kind of power even Andrew would be jealous of in a loyal follower.

Seeing no one paying her much attention, Izumi quickened her pace toward her classroom.

Honestly, she'd been wanting to attend school for a while now.

But somehow… she always managed to get lost.

As for the school uniform?

That kind of thing feels cold as ice when you wear it.

Doesn't it feel embarrassing?

No way she's wearing that!

Yukino Yukinoshita pulled back her curious gaze and went back to staking out the school gate.

During that time, passing students couldn't help but sneak glances at her.

But whenever Yukino's icy gaze swept over them, they immediately lowered their heads, averted their eyes, and hurried away.

Way too cold!

Her stare was like ancient, unmeltable ice—just one look was enough to freeze you solid.

Nobody wanted to get roasted by her, so they wisely decided to keep their distance.

Yukino was more than happy to be left in peace.

Hmph. Not even looking at her own boyfriend—nothing dangerous about her, no need to worry.

But that guy…!

That jerk had threatened her, forcing her to study that kind of stuff while staring right into his eyes. Just remembering it made her cheeks burn.

Thinking back to yesterday, she felt a wave of humiliation and a little bit of frustration.

Sure, she'd been in the wrong too, but he was really awful!

After waiting for a while, Yukino finally spotted him.

When she saw him walking behind Mahiru Shiina, her cold gaze turned razor-sharp, stabbing right into Andrew.

From her perspective, him trailing behind Mahiru could only mean one thing—he was up to no good and probably planning to make a move on her!

So the moment he got close, Yukino grabbed his arm and dragged him toward a quiet spot.

"Come with me, pervert!"

Andrew's mouth twitched. Being dragged off without warning was one thing, but calling him a pervert too?

Ever heard of manners?

This second young lady clearly needed to be taught a lesson.

Once they reached an empty area, Yukino finally let go of his arm with a look of pure disgust, glaring at him coldly.

Andrew raised an eyebrow and smirked. "What's this? Did the second young lady change her mind? Wanna sign a contract with me?"

"Hah, dream on."

Yukino shot back, looking at him like he was something filthy.

Andrew shrugged and turned to leave. "If all you wanted to do was say that, I'm going. No point in wasting breath when we've got nothing to talk about."

"Wait! Don't go yet, I've got something to say!"

Yukino quickly stopped him.

He turned back, looking puzzled. "What? If it's just to insult me, I'm not interested. Hearing that will just make me mad… and then I'll feel like bullying someone."

Hearing that, Yukino instinctively took two steps back, her cheeks flushing.

Biting her lip, she suddenly bent forward and gave him a deep bow.

"…I'm sorry."

"Huh? Yukino, what's this about?"

"I'm apologizing for how I acted yesterday. I judged you without knowing the truth and… I was wrong."

She bowed again. "And also… thank you!"

"Thank you for curing me, and thank you for fulfilling my sister's wish."

"Uh… well…"

Andrew was honestly thrown off by this.

Just from the way she'd been looking at him earlier, he thought she absolutely hated his guts right now.

He never imagined she'd actually apologize so sincerely—and even thank him for what he'd done.

Yukino felt embarrassed under his odd gaze, but her pride wouldn't let her keep making the same mistake.

So she apologized seriously, and she meant it.

After a moment of silence, Andrew sighed. "No need to thank me. In the end, this was just a win-win deal for me."

"Your sister got her wish, you got your health back, and I got your sister. Not exactly a loss for me."

Hearing that, Yukino's eyes narrowed, and she glared at him through gritted teeth.

"I'm not going to let myself keep being wrong, so apologizing to you is the least I can do. But… don't you have anything you want to say to me?"

"Because honestly, you're a big reason why I had such a bad impression of you in the first place."

That jerk—when he was treating her, he'd stolen her first kiss… and if that wasn't bad enough…

…he'd even used his tongue.

With behavior like that, how could she not misunderstand him?

Or maybe it wasn't even a misunderstanding—maybe he really was a pervert!

Her words made Andrew feel a tiny bit guilty, but he quickly pulled himself together.

He didn't do anything wrong, so why should he feel guilty?

Smiling slyly, he took a step toward her and said in a low voice—

"Alright, fine. I'll admit I'm not exactly a good guy either. You misunderstanding me is kinda my fault too. So… how do you want me to make it up to you?"

…asking for flowers…

Hearing him say that, Yukino Yukinoshita felt a lot better inside. She gave a cold snort and said seriously:

"I don't need you to make it up to me. I just want you to treat my sister well."

"But what if… I insist on making it up to you?"

Andrew grinned mischievously.

Yukino instantly got a bad feeling.

The heat in his eyes…

…instantly reminded her of the shame from yesterday.

Run.Blushing bright red, she turned and tried to bolt—

—but it was already too late.

Andrew grabbed her from behind, pulled her into his arms, and quickly lowered his head to press his lips against hers.

"This is the only way I can make it up to you, Yukino-chan."

"Mmph! Mmm… you… pervert… mmph…!"

Her face burning, Yukino pounded weakly at his chest, but it was useless.

Andrew held her slim waist tightly, just like yesterday, "teaching" her again.

Tears welled up in Yukino's eyes as she gave him a pitiful look—then her body went limp again.

Maybe because she still remembered yesterday's incident, she shut her eyes tight, not daring to meet his gaze.

Right now… she had no idea what she was supposed to do.

Her mind was buzzing.

She was starting to think coming to see him was a huge mistake.

He's so awful—such a shameless wolf—how could he not take advantage of her in a place with no one around?

But her pride wouldn't let her just admit she was wrong and avoid him, so she had to come see him anyway.

After a long moment—

Andrew reluctantly let go of Haruno Yukinoshita's soft, rosy lips, smiling as he said, "Thanks for the treat, my lovely second young lady."

Gasping for breath and feeling her strength return, Yukino pushed him away in shame and anger.

"Y-you pervert! How could you do that?!"

"And why couldn't I?" Andrew shot back.

"You… you already have my sister!"

"So what? I'm a demon. I don't think I'm bound by human marriage laws."

"This…"

Yukino Yukinoshita found herself at a loss for words. After thinking for a moment, she snapped,"But this is human society! If you keep treating me like this… do you believe I won't report you to the authorities?"

"Go ahead, report me," Andrew replied without the slightest hint of panic. Right now, his fate was tied to Haruno's—or rather, it was Haruno's fate that he had in his hands.

And Yukino… there was no way she'd ever actually report him.

She really was out of options this time.

How many times had this happened already?Whenever it came to this man, she was always the one getting completely cornered.

Grinding her teeth, she lowered her head, looking frustrated and defeated.

A moment later, she looked back up at him."What exactly do you want? You already have my sister, so why are you still coming after me? Don't you look down on me?"

"Isn't your sister supposed to be better than you?"

Andrew stepped forward without thinking, closing the gap between them, and pulled the second young lady tightly into his arms.

"Demons lie, you know. But contracts don't. I just want to make a contract with you, that's all."

"And besides… Yukino, don't you think my body's being way more honest than my words right now?"

Yukino's whole body trembled.

Demons lie?What was that supposed to mean?

Was he saying… she was actually better than her sister?That he valued her more?

What a joke.No way she was buying that.

"Let go of me. Class is about to start!"

Pushing down the mess of emotions in her chest, she shoved at him hard.

"Not letting go. Unless you agree to let me kiss you once every day."

"You! Shameless! Pervert!"

"Thanks for the compliments."

"Thick-skinned creep!"

"You're only figuring that out now? I thought you noticed yesterday. Beautiful but clueless—that's you, Miss Pretty, you really need to work on your taste."

"Go die!"

"Whoa, that's a bit much. I'd rather not, honestly."

Seeing how upset she looked, Andrew decided not to push it too far. He leaned down in a flash and gave her soft, pink lips a quick peck before letting her go.

"Alright, I'll stop messing with you. If Haruno finds out I bullied her precious little sister, she'll definitely get mad at me. So… see you later, my little Yukino."

"I'm not yours!"

Yukino shouted at his back, but her cheeks were already flushed to the tips of her ears.

Even now, she couldn't make sense of her own feelings.

That accident—a single car crash—had completely changed her life's path.

And this jerk… this unreasonable, infuriating jerk—He'd stolen her sister away and barged straight into her world.

"..."

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