The Tanaka family sat around the dining table for a special occasion.
Tanaka Kazumi had taken the day off to get Jahy's citizenship and household registration sorted. With the bureaucratic hurdles cleared and time to spare, she had returned with a bounty of groceries, transforming them into a magnificent feast for Jahy's welcome party.
The table groaned under the weight of delicious dishes, and the air was thick with the tantalizing aroma.
Three of the four people present stared, their mouths watering in anticipation.
The fourth, Masao, was the sole exception.
With a sympathetic smile, Kazumi reached over and slid the plate of savory, glistening food away from her son.
In its place, she presented a bowl of undressed leafy greens and a pale, dry-looking piece of boiled chicken breast.
"Here you go, Masao," she chirped. "I made this just for you."
Masao's eyes darted from the sad, dietetic meal before him to the glorious spread just inches away. A single tear of despair rolled down his cheek.
"Mom... you're just too good to me," he managed, his voice cracking with a mix of sarcasm and pain. "I'm so... touched... sob..."
Kazumi covered her mouth, her amused laugh barely contained.
"Oh! I'm glad you feel the love, dear. A mother always knows how to take care of her son."
From the head of the table, Kenji observed the scene and gave a slight, knowing shake of his head. He said nothing. After all, this diet was Masao's own idea. As his family, the least they could do was support him in his endeavor.
Jahy, meanwhile, watched the exchange with a keen, analytical gaze, her small chin resting in her hand.
'Masao's primary weakness is his diet. Being denied tasty food is a form of torture for him. This is perfect retribution for spanking me last night.' she thought. 'Justice is served. I must secure the seat beside him. I will ensure he witnesses every delicious bite I take.'
They all settled into their seats and raised their glasses—water for the dieter, juice for the demon, beer for the father, and tea for the mother.
"A toast," Kenji announced, his voice warm. "To officially welcome Jahy into our family!"
"Welcome!" Kazumi echoed brightly.
"Welcome," Masao grumbled, with markedly less enthusiasm.
"I find this new family arrangement... acceptable as well," Jahy declared, her nose held high. "Cheers!"
Their glasses met with a cheerful clink, and the meal began in earnest. Jahy ate with voracious enthusiasm, barely pausing between mouthfuls.
"Kazumi," she announced, "I have reached a decision. I wish to attend school."
Her grand plan was still firmly in mind. School was the key—a trove of human knowledge where she could regain her strength and power.
Kenji and Kazumi shared a look, their faces softening with identical, pleased smiles.
"Don't you worry, little Jahy," Kazumi reassured her. "It's all been taken care of. You'll start school next week. I'm so happy to see that you're so excited to go. What a clever girl you are."
Masao, however, stared at Jahy with confusion.
'Why the sudden interest in school? Is it just to blend in? But her mission is to rebuild the Demon Realm. How does school fit into that? Is she planning a decades-long infiltration strategy?'
Had he known that Jahy's academic aspirations were sparked entirely by his own offhand comments and her desire for power—specifically, power over him—he would have been crippled by laughter.
School could make one powerful, certainly, but not in the world-dominating, magical way the demon was picturing.
"So," Masao asked, cutting into his rubbery chicken, "what age did you put on the registration? What grade is she even in?"
"Well..." Kazumi began, recalling the day's challenges.
Jahy had arrived with no paperwork—no birth certificate, no records of any kind. Fortunately, the authorities were more lenient with children found without guardians. A simple application for foster care registration had sufficed to get her into the system.
The age question, however, had been a spectacle.
Jahy had proudly proclaimed herself to be "centuries old." The officials had chuckled, writing it off as a child's vibrant imagination.
In the end, they'd settled on an age based on her appearance: nine years old.
"Jahy is nine," Kazumi confirmed. "So, she'll be entering the third grade."
"Third grade," Masao repeated, nodding slowly. 'Ah, a little third-grader. How fitting.'
"It suits her," he said aloud.
"The third grade?" Jahy looked puzzled. She turned to Masao, her curiosity piqued. "And what grade are you in?"
"I'm a freshman. In university so first grade I suppose. "
Jahy held up her hands, examining them as if they were a complex chart.
On her left, one finger stood alone. On her right, three.
"First grade...third grade..." Her eyes widened as she performed her 'calculations,' and her face blossomed into a look of triumphant victory. "So that means my grade is higher than yours! The institution I will attend is superior!"
Seeing Jahy's smug expression, Kazumi's heart melted. She reached over and gently patted her head.
"Of course it is, sweetie. You're much more advanced."
A flicker of irritation pricked at Masao. He wasn't usually one for petty comparisons, but his mother's blatant coddling was too much. He felt compelled to explain the facts.
"Actually, university is—" he started, but the words died in his throat.
He met his father's gaze from across the table.
It was a look he knew well—a silent, paternal message transmitted with perfect, terrifying clarity. 'If you ruin her joy, I will ruin your week.'
Quailing under this unspoken threat, Masao shrunk into his chair, his protest dissolving into a resigned silence.
'What is it about her? Is it just the cute face? I'm plenty cute too, in a teddy-bear kind of way…' He sulked internally 'Alright, fine. I get it. If I were a parent, I'd probably also favor a tiny, determined demon girl over my fat, otaku son.'
He stabbed his fork into a piece of flavorless chicken, then watched as Jahy bit into a juicy piece of karaage, a shimmer of grease on her lips. A profound sense of loss settled over him.
'I've been replaced. Jahy is the star of this house now. That little tyrant must have a succubus lineage or something the way she has everyone wrapped around her fingers. At least my will is strong. I remain unmoved by her childish charms.'
A sudden, unbidden image of an adult Jahy popped into his head, smirking "Oh? Is that so?"
Okay, fine. He'd admit it. He just wasn't a kid person. But an adult version of Jahy… that was a different story entirely.
As the dinner drew to a close, Kazumi pulled a few crisp banknotes from her wallet and handed them to Jahy.
"Jahy-chan, you saw a bit of the neighbourhood with me today. I have to work tomorrow, so you'll need to manage on your own. This is your monthly allowance. You can buy anything you'd like with it."
Jahy's eyes lit up as if the banknotes themselves were glowing. She understood the power of this human currency: this "money" was the key to every sweet and savory treasure the human world had to offer.
"I shall accept this tribute!" she announced, her regal tone cracking with excitement as she snatched the bills with lightning speed.
Her mind was already racing, cataloging every delicious snack she'd seen in the convenience store window.
Witnessing the amount, Masao felt a surge of righteous indignation.
"Mom, 5,000 yen? That's insane! I only got 2,000 yen a month when I was her age!"
But Kazumi was ready for this.
"Your allowance is 5,000 yen now, isn't it?" she countered. "I have to be fair. Besides, the cost of everything has gone up since you were a boy. It's only reasonable."
Masao could only stare blankly.
'It's undeniable now. The world is fundamentally biased in favor of the cute.'
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