The days after the Climate Arena incident did not change overnight.
But they did change.
At first, it was subtle.
Hiko Shinoegami walked the academy halls under the same watchful eyes as before, but the fear no longer pressed as tightly against him. Students still whispered, still paused when he passed—but fewer stepped back.
Some simply watched.
Others nodded awkwardly.
Progress, however small.
Inside his mind, the presence remained silent, content to observe.
Classes resumed.
Magic theory. Mana control. Disaster history.
Instructors acted normal—almost too normal—but none avoided Hiko. That alone mattered.
In one lecture, Hiko took his usual seat near the window.
A chair scraped beside him.
He stiffened slightly.
Someone had sat down.
"…Uh," a voice said. "Is this seat taken?"
Hiko turned.
A boy stood there, average height, messy brown hair, eyes shifting nervously.
"…No," Hiko answered.
The boy sat quickly, hands clasped together like he might bolt at any moment.
Several students watched from across the room.
The boy swallowed.
"I'm, uh… Leto," he said. "From the same class."
Hiko nodded. "Hiko."
There was an awkward silence.
Leto laughed nervously. "Yeah. I know."
Another pause.
Then—
"…Do you want to be friends?"
The room seemed to freeze.
Hiko blinked.
Inside his mind, the devil stirred faintly.
Well. That's new.
Hiko hesitated—not because he didn't want to, but because he hadn't expected the question to be asked so simply.
"…Sure," he said.
Leto's shoulders visibly relaxed.
"Really? Oh—good. That's good."
A few students exchanged looks.
Someone whispered, "He said yes…"
The lecture began, but the atmosphere had shifted.
Later that day, during training, Hiko practiced mana compression alone as usual.
A girl approached cautiously.
"…Your control," she said. "It's really clean."
Hiko looked up. "Thank you."
She nodded once and walked away—but she hadn't run.
At lunch, the table across from him filled up.
Not beside him.
But not empty either.
Small things.
Important things.
Goru passed him in the courtyard and gave a firm nod.
Daizen watched from afar, arms crossed, then turned back to his own training.
Inside Hiko's mind, the devil spoke quietly.
They're testing the waters.
…I know, Hiko replied.
By the end of the week, fewer rumors followed him.
More questions did.
"Does it hurt?"
"Are you always that strong?"
"Can you really control it?"
Hiko answered honestly.
"I don't know everything."
"I'm still learning."
"I don't want to hurt anyone."
And people listened.
Trust didn't return all at once.
But step by step, it walked back on its own.
One afternoon, Leto walked beside him again.
"You know," Leto said, grinning awkwardly, "you're not as scary as everyone said."
Hiko exhaled softly. "…That's good."
The devil chuckled quietly in his mind.
Careful. You might end up normal at this rate.
Hiko almost smiled.
As the sun dipped behind the academy towers, Hiko realized something important.
He wasn't being feared anymore.
He was being watched.
And watched people, eventually, became understood.