Jahy was new to this world, but she was a quick study. She had already learned its most fundamental rule: anything and everything here required money.
And she was broke.
As a demon without a single coin to her name, her next meal was a pressing concern. Finding a place to sleep was an even more distant dream.
The idea of sleeping on the streets, exposed to the elements was beneath her dignity.
This line of thinking led her to one inevitable conclusion, she had to latch on to Tanaka Masao.
Masao, for his part, was fully expecting this. In their short acquaintance, he had learned that Jahy possessed a demon's pride and a beggar's shamelessness.
Or perhaps it was the self-importance of a former executive, having held a high position for so long Jahy tended to be incredibly self-centered when dealing with anyone other than the Dark Lord.
"I never agreed to let you turn my house into your new base of operations" he stated flatly.
"Don't be so stingy! I'll grant you another wish," Jahy declared, embodying the principle that when you're already drowning in debt, one more promise is meaningless. She was a virtuoso of writing blank checks.
"You still owe me a wish from the last time," he reminded her.
Yet, despite his protests, he found himself leading her home.
He had to admit, if only to himself, that he was a little curious about these "wishes."
And besides, there was another, more intriguing angle. Taking in a beautiful demon woman felt like a plot point straight out of a light novel—the kind of situation that inevitably catapults an ordinary high school boy into a life of extraordinary and chaotic adventures.
—
Jahy followed Masao to his home and stared up at the standard two-story house, her expression dripping with contempt.
"So this is your domain? How... modest."
Having once presided over vast, opulent castles, she found Masao's modest dwelling underwhelming.
Masao unlocked the door. "If it's not up to your standards, feel free to find a five-star hotel."
Unwilling to test her luck on the streets, Jahy brushed past him into the entryway.
"I suppose it will have to suffice as a temporary base of operations."
"Hey! Shoes!" he called after her, but she was already inside.
By the time he had swapped his own shoes for slippers, Jahy had already made herself at home, lounging on the living room sofa as if she owned it.
She melted into the cushions, crossed her legs with an imperial air, and issued her first decree.
"Get me a drink."
"You don't waste any time making yourself comfortable, do you?" Masao said, a mix of annoyance and awe in his voice.
He went to the kitchen and poured her a glass of juice from the fridge. As he turned to bring it to her, a sharp cry from the living room made him jump.
"What was that?!"
He rushed back to find the elegant young woman gone. In her place, sitting small and forlorn on the sofa, was a little girl.
Jahy stared down at her shrunken body, hands clutching her head in despair.
"I've shrunken again!"
Masao let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding. For a second, he'd thought a Magical Girl had tracked them down.
He set the juice on the table. "What happened? Why did you change back?"
Her shoulders slumped, Jahy held up the mana stone pendant around her neck.
"This fragment is too small. It doesn't hold enough power to sustain my true form indefinitely."
"Wait, so if the magic runs out, you're stuck like that? A kid forever?"
"Not permanently, no," Jahy shook her head, her voice small. "This pitiful fragment can only sustain my true glory for a few (3 to 4) paltry hours each day before it is drained! I must locate a larger mana stone fragment, and swiftly!"
"An adult form with a strict time limit... reverting to a child when the power drains..." Masao rubbed his chin, a thoughtful and slightly mischievous glint in his eye.
The scenario felt familiar, the kind of premise that led to all sorts of complicated and potentially amusing situations.
Jahy grabbed the glass and took a long gulp. "Ahh, delicious! Very well, let us strategize our search for mana stones."
"Before we get to that," Masao interrupted, "we have a more immediate problem."
Jahy looked up, confused. "What could possibly be more important?"
"My parents get home from work soon. If we don't have a convincing story for why you're here, you'll be back on the street before sunset."
Jahy's face immediately sobered.
He was right. Securing her base—her food and shelter—was the primary strategic objective. Everything else, including her quest for power, was secondary. She looked up at him, her usual bravado replaced by genuine concern.
"What is your plan?"
Seeing her like this—small, vulnerable, and dependent on him—Masao felt a wave of satisfaction. This version of Jahy was far more manageable than the arrogant, full-grown demon.
"Just do exactly as I say."
"V-very well," Jahy agreed, her voice barely a whisper.
[Ding.]
[Congratulations, Host, on obtaining 10+ points of Corruption Value.]
Masao: ???
After his doujinshi's release, the constant system pings had driven him to set a filter.
Now, he only received alerts for corruption value increases of ten points or more. Most people provided a trickle of a point or two. Only one other person had ever triggered a ten-point alert.
He hadn't expected Jahy to hit that threshold so easily. It seemed the proud demon's spirit was easily corrupted.
'Good,' he thought. 'If a little submission is worth ten points, what would a full-blown tsundere meltdown be worth?'
The reason for Jahy's fall was simple, yet profound. To secure the basic necessities of life, the great and mighty Jahy-sama had been forced to lower her noble head and submit to the directions of Tanaka Masao—a human she considered her subordinate and financier.
The Demon World's no. 2 had bowed to the humbling realities of mortal existence.
—
—
"We're home!"
The sound of the front door unlocking and his parents' voices echoed through the house at half-past six.
"Welcome back," Masao said, greeting them in the entryway.
"?"
Both of his parents stopped short, surprised. The old Masao would never have bothered, and the current one was usually holed up in his room by now.
His mother recovered first.
"Masao! You're back. How was your trip to Tokyo yesterday?"
"It was fine," he said casually.
Just as his parents bent down to untie their shoes, a small, unfamiliar voice piped up from the living room doorway.
"Hello there!"
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[email protected]/Raven_scroll (30+ Advance Chapters)