The confrontation hung suspended in the midnight air, charged with Ameri's fierce, decisive conviction and Noir's utter, paralyzing horror. Ameri's grip on his jacket collar had been like steel, moments before.
AMERI: "I know your secret, Sullivan. You are from the Human Realm!"
NOIR: "Oh, come on!"
A moment passed where the only sound was the faint, magical shimmer of the impossible tree and the distant, confused whimpering of the Chaos Lion and the Aether Tiger, who watched the intense display from behind a stack of sweeping brushes.
Ameri's training finally kicked in, demanding immediate action against the confirmed existence of a forbidden entity. She was the President of the Student Council; she had a duty to maintain order and assess threats originating from outside the known world.
She forcefully released Noir, taking two deliberate steps back to regain her presidential bearing. Her initial shock was replaced by strategic resolve.
AMERI: (Her voice regaining its strict, authoritative tone) "Your ability to remain calm under the revelation is noted, Sullivan. It speaks to a deep level of mental discipline inherent in the species of the 'other realm.' This situation is far too volatile for an academic setting."
Ameri walked toward the main doors of the administration building, pulling out her secure communication device.
AMERI: "Given the severity of the threat you represent—both magically through your unclassifiable output and politically as confirmed evidence of the forbidden other realm—the school cannot risk your presence. I will contact my father, General Azazel, immediately. I will recommend your immediate transfer to a highly secure, private institution—a facility equipped to contain and study beings originating from other realms."
Noir, still reeling from the accusation that he was a confirmed interdimensional risk, was utterly bewildered. He hadn't realized he was being viewed as a security threat, let alone a diplomatic crisis. He only saw the President, who looked incredibly furious and deeply offended by his actions.
Inner Monologue (Noir):She thinks I'm from the Human Realm? That's true, but why is she so angry? Did I offend her immensely by offering my hand? Is that a massive taboo here? I need to apologize and beg for her to not tell Grandpa, or he'll cry.
He took a tentative step toward her, trying to speak, to smooth things over with a sincere apology.
NOIR: "President Azazel, please, I—"
Before he could utter another word, Ameri, still on high alert for the human realm's subtle "Romantic Influence" abilities, reacted instantly. She snapped around, her hand shooting out like a whip, catching both of Noir's wrists in an iron grip.
AMERI: "Do not move! Do not attempt any further physical contact! I know this is likely another calculated maneuver to exploit the physical proximity and the high-tension atmosphere—a common tactic in the 'First Love' scenarios!"
Ameri's assumption was that Noir was about to launch into a full-scale, physical, manga-style attempt to sway her decision—a dangerous, specialized ability she was determined to resist purely on principle.
Noir, however, felt the immense pressure of her grip and the fury in her eyes. He interpreted her reaction entirely as a confirmation of his massive blunder. She is absolutely livid! I must have broken some ancient, sacred rule of etiquette! I need to show maximum deference!
Trapped in her grasp, and unable to properly bow due to the constraints, Noir did the only thing he could think of to show utter humility and repentance: he lowered his head deeply in a rigid, forced bow of apology.
NOIR: (Strained) "I sincerely apologize for the collateral damage, the unauthorized botanical growth, and my clumsy, deeply inappropriate gesture!"
As Noir bowed his head, still captured by her intense grip, two things happened simultaneously:
The Wings: The sudden, sharp movement caused his tightly compressed eight black wings to instinctively shift, stretching slightly beneath the constraints of his jacket. The movement made the feathered fabric rustle loudly.
Ameri's Reaction: Ameri was still gripping his wrists, preparing to issue a stern warning. When Noir suddenly lowered his majestic head—a head crowned by the singular obsidian horn and framed by glacial white hair—she felt a profound, primal shock.
In the rigid, hierarchy-driven culture of the Demon World, the act of a powerful being bowing their head is the ultimate sign of submission and deference. For a student who looked like a creature of myth, and who Ameri had just mentally elevated to the status of a dangerous, intelligent, extra-dimensional threat, this gesture was unthinkable.
Her analytical mind—the same mind distorted by the manga's logic—re-calibrated the data instantly.
Original Premise: He is attempting to exploit a romantic trope.
New Data: He is offering a profound, ritualistic act of submission and acknowledgment of her superior authority.
But before the analytical process could conclude, the sheer weight of the gesture overwhelmed her. Ameri Azazel, faced with the profound, unexpected bow of a magnificent being who she believed was concealing an entire world's worth of forbidden power, instinctively bowed her own head in return.
It was a reciprocal, unconscious, ceremonial reflex—the deeply ingrained habit of acknowledging a powerful gesture with an equally weighty one.
Both powerful beings were now stuck:
Noir: Bowing, deeply regretful, trying to signal complete, utter surrender to quell her obvious anger.
Ameri: Bowing in response, realizing too late what she had done, her mind screaming: I just acknowledged the submission of a confirmed interdimensional entity! What are the diplomatic repercussions?!
They were locked in a stalemate, two extremely powerful individuals trapped in an elaborate, silent, reciprocal bow in a midnight courtyard. Neither was sure who was actually submitting, who was challenging whom, or what the proper etiquette demanded next.
Noir and Ameri were both unable to figure out what to do next.