The sound of hurried footsteps echoed through the school courtyard.
A crowd of reporters carrying oversized cameras and microphones rushed toward them, excitement gleaming in their eyes like a pack of starved wolves who had just spotted prey.
Seeing the mob closing in, Ryuichi quietly took a step forward and stood protectively in front of Sakurajima Mai.
The sudden movement made her fingers tighten around his hand.
Feeling it, Ryuichi turned slightly and smiled over his shoulder."Don't worry," he said in a calm, teasing tone. "If anyone here should know how to deal with these people, it's you."
"…You're not wrong," Mai replied softly, her composure slowly returning. "But this time, let me handle it."
Ryuichi blinked, surprised by the firmness in her voice.
Mai had always known what the entertainment world was really like—how those reporters could twist black into white with just a few words.If she didn't handle this properly, things could spiral completely out of control.And the last thing she wanted was to see Ryuichi dragged down because of her.
But Ryuichi only shook his head."It's useless now," he said simply. "No matter what we say, they won't leave us alone."
He knew all too well that trying to reason with reporters was pointless—especially these kinds of tabloid hounds.Even if you gave them a clean explanation, they'd just twist it, add a flashy title, and turn it into another rumor to boost their views.
Mai frowned.Something about his calm confidence felt strange—as if Ryuichi wasn't worried at all.
She looked up at him. He stood with an easy posture, utterly relaxed.He definitely had something in mind.
A moment later, the reporters—after their metaphorical hundred-meter sprint—finally surrounded them.Dozens of microphones shot forward like loaded rifles aimed at their faces.
"Mai-san! Hello, I'm from Shinraku Entertainment!""We're from Evening Star News—can we get a comment?"
Voices overlapped chaotically, all trying to shout the loudest.The scene was almost dizzying.
Ryuichi's brows furrowed.He suddenly took a step forward.
In that instant, a faint wave of demonic energy surged through him.His aura sharpened, a quiet but undeniable pressure rolling off his body.
To the crowd, it was as if the young man had suddenly become someone entirely different—dangerous, powerful, and commanding.His eyes gleamed with a quiet, predatory light.Even a single glance from him made several reporters flinch involuntarily.
None of them could explain why. They just knew this boy wasn't someone to trifle with.
Subconsciously, the entire group took a collective step back, falling silent.
Ryuichi's tone was mild, almost casual."Is there something you all need?"
"Ah—uh, y-yes, sir," one of the female reporters stammered, lifting her hand timidly. "We'd just like to ask—what's your relationship to Sakurajima Mai-san?"
"I'm her boyfriend," Ryuichi said without hesitation.
The reporters' eyes lit up instantly.They all turned toward Mai, waiting for her to deny or confirm it.
Mai stood quietly behind Ryuichi and didn't speak.To the reporters, that silence was as good as confirmation.
"Mai-san!" a daring reporter quickly pressed, "Rumors say your boyfriend's been seeing multiple women at once—how do you respond?"
The crowd erupted again, sensing blood in the water.
But Mai took a calm breath and stepped forward."That's a false rumor," she said firmly.
"Then what does the person in question have to say?" the same reporter countered, microphone thrust toward Ryuichi.
Ryuichi smiled faintly, almost amused."Even if it were true," he said lightly, "would that really be such a big deal?"
Mai blinked. What?
Was he… deliberately walking into it?That was practically handing them a headline on a silver platter!
Before she could intervene, another reporter jumped in."So you admit that two-timing is fine?"
"Why not?" Ryuichi replied. "Isn't it? I mean, I could date multiple people at once if I wanted to. Is there a problem with that?"
A faint shimmer of blue flickered across his eyes.
No one noticed.
The reporters froze for a second, their expressions going slack.Then, as if under some strange spell, they began nodding in agreement.
"Y-yeah… you're right…""It's not really that big of a deal, huh?""Everyone has their own choices… nothing wrong with that…"
Mai stared in disbelief.What in the world…?
She looked from the confused reporters to Ryuichi, who was now smiling like a cat who had just gotten away with something.
Whatever he'd done—it clearly worked.
"What did you do to them?" she asked quietly.
Ryuichi shrugged lightly. "Just a simple spell," he said. "Think of it as… altering their sense of normal."
"Altering… their sense of normal?" Mai repeated, still confused.
"Right," he explained patiently. "For example—normally, walking around naked in public would be humiliating, right? But if I rewrote someone's common sense, they'd think it was completely normal."
Mai's eyes widened. "You—don't even think about demonstrating that!"
Ryuichi laughed. "Just kidding. Mostly."
"That's… unbelievably awful," she muttered, half-exasperated, half-impressed. "That's practically demonic."
He gave her a mischievous smile."Well, I am a Devil."
The technique he'd used was something he'd learned from Rias and the others.Though Devils, Angels, and Fallen Angels had signed treaties to coexist with humanity, battles between them still happened.Yet no matter how fierce those battles became, humans never seemed to notice them.
The reason was simple—because of this very spell.By rewriting human perception, even the most chaotic supernatural events were seamlessly filtered out of human awareness.
And that was the true power of altering "common sense."A simple technique on paper—but one used extensively by Devils, Angels, and Fallen alike.
Ryuichi had mastered it well enough to be confident.To him, dealing with a few overzealous reporters was child's play.
He looked back at Mai, who was still staring at him speechlessly.
"See?" he said with a grin. "Problem solved."
Mai sighed softly, rubbing her temples."…You really are impossible sometimes."
"Maybe," he said, his tone playful. "But you're smiling again."
She blinked, caught off guard.Before she could reply, the faintest blush crept up her cheeks.
Ryuichi chuckled quietly.
The reporters, still murmuring in a daze, began to wander off, their cameras swinging aimlessly.For now, at least, the storm had passed.