Putting aside the whole "crashing into a girl's bathroom in full Devil form" part—which honestly felt like something out of a ridiculous anime plot twist—Ryuichi's encounter with Sakurajima Mai was actually going... surprisingly normally.
At least, that's how it felt to Mai.
To her, Ryuichi didn't seem like the kind of Devil she had imagined.He wasn't terrifying or bloodthirsty, nor did he carry that cruel, demonic aura from legends. If you ignored the black wings that could unfurl from his back and the faint pressure of his magic power, he looked and acted completely human.
Of course, what she didn't know was that just a few days ago—Ryuichi really had been a perfectly ordinary human.
"Why don't you start by telling me your story?"Ryuichi broke the silence first, his tone even and calm."To fix a problem, we first need to know where it began, don't we?"
Mai hesitated for a moment, her expression flickering with reluctance. But she understood he was right. So, after taking a quiet breath, she began to speak—carefully, as though letting someone peek into the diary she'd kept locked away for years.
"I started working in the entertainment industry when I was six. After playing the lead in a morning drama, I was constantly appearing on TV—films, commercials... I've lived my whole life in the public eye.No matter where I went, people would talk about 'that Sakurajima Mai'. Eventually, I started to wish for just one thing—to go somewhere no one knew who I was."
Ryuichi frowned slightly as she spoke.Wait a second… so this whole situation was basically caused by her own wish coming true?
"In other words," he said, folding his arms as he leaned back on the sofa, "your wish actually did come true."
"Yes," Mai admitted softly. "But not in the way I wanted. It's not that people no longer recognize me… it's that they literally can't see me anymore."
Her tone turned somber. Clearly, it wasn't a wish fulfilled—it was a curse realized.
Ryuichi let out a dry sigh.So her power had basically glitched. Great—another case of a reality-breaking human anomaly.
"As expected," he murmured, a faint smirk tugging at his lips, "life's all about never getting exactly what you want."
His words struck a strange chord in Mai."You're a Devil, and yet you talk about life as if you've lived through it all."
Ryuichi chuckled quietly. "I'm just lucky, I suppose. If I actually had to think about 'life' and all its problems, I'd probably go insane before my long Devil lifespan even hit the halfway mark."
"That almost sounds like you're enjoying my misery," Mai said flatly.
"Not at all," Ryuichi replied with a light smile, unbothered. "But from what you've said, I think I understand. What you're experiencing… is probably tied to something called 'the atmosphere.' Your special ability might've been influenced by it."
"'The atmosphere'...?" Mai repeated, puzzled.
"It's simple," Ryuichi began, his voice calm and steady—like someone who had seen through far too much. "As long as people are alive, they exist within some kind of social circle. Whether it's in school or society, there's always a certain atmosphere that shapes how people act and how others see them.And when someone stands out too much—sooner or later, they start hearing whispers behind their back. They get called arrogant, self-absorbed, or just... different. That's how the crowd reacts."
Ryuichi spoke as though he were describing something deeply personal. Maybe he was.
To avoid such treatment himself, he had learned to wear masks—to smile when expected, to downplay his own presence, to stay ordinary even when he wasn't. It was his way of blending in.
Mai, however, was different.She had been in the spotlight since childhood—a born celebrity. Her radiance was impossible to hide.
From the moment she entered the world, she had been someone others looked up to… or envied from afar.
In Ryuichi's eyes, it was no surprise that someone like her would eventually be swallowed up by the "atmosphere" around her.To the ordinary, the extraordinary always seemed unreachable—and therefore, alien.
Mai lowered her gaze slightly, murmuring, "I guess… that's just how things are."
"Yeah," Ryuichi said with a soft sigh. "Trying to go against the atmosphere—it's exhausting. Most people can't do it. And the rare ones who can… they just end up being called weird."
He leaned back further into the sofa, his crimson eyes thoughtful. "Anyway, based on what you've told me, I've come up with two possible ways to fix your situation."
"...Seriously?" Mai blinked in disbelief.
She still didn't have the faintest idea what was happening to her—yet this Devil was claiming he already had two solutions?
Ryuichi raised one finger. "First option: we find the origin of your condition—the exact place or moment it started—and then create a huge public buzz about you. The louder and more sensational, the better. That's the best way to fight against the atmosphere itself."
"Such as?" Mai asked warily.
"Hmm… something like: 'Famous actress Sakurajima Mai's secret relationship exposed! Betrayed and dumped by playboy boyfriend!'"
"I'll take the second option," Mai said immediately, her tone sharp and decisive.
Ryuichi's lips twitched. "Rejected that fast? And here I was ready to volunteer as your fake playboy boyfriend."
"You're underestimating the media," Mai replied coolly. "Even if it's a fake story, they'll still dig into every detail like ants crawling over your skin."
She wasn't exaggerating. After years in the spotlight, she knew exactly how ruthless tabloids could be.If they stirred up a storm like that, it wouldn't just burn her career—it'd burn her.
Ryuichi, however, only smiled faintly. "Of course I know that. That's exactly why I'd use it."
He met her eyes with a steady, almost chilling calm.
"I don't bet on the goodness of people," he said quietly. "I bet on their ugliness. I don't bet on them wanting you to live—I bet on them wanting me to die."
Mai froze.
His voice was soft, but the words carried weight. They sank into her heart like stones dropped into deep water, sending ripples through her composure.
It took her a long moment before she could speak again. "…I don't need you to do something like that. Just tell me the second method."
Ryuichi was silent for a beat, then exhaled.
"The second option's gentler, but the odds of success are lower. We still need to find the starting point of your condition—but instead of shocking the public, we'd try to slowly change how people perceive you. Gradually, we'd make them remember you again.It'll take time… and honestly, there's no guarantee it'll work."
Truth be told, Ryuichi personally preferred the first approach. A sharp shock could cut through the fog of indifference like a blade.It didn't even need to be about romance—any sensational story could do, as long as it struck hard enough.
But that would require Mai to play the victim... and someone else to play the villain.
And that, he knew, wasn't a price she'd be willing to pay.