The afternoon sun bathed the training field in lazy gold.
After hours of drills, the gang finally collapsed under the great oak tree, stretching, yawning, and complaining like old men.
Reika and Mira sat a little closer than usual... too close not to be noticed.
Their pinkies brushed. Then stayed. Then Mira shifted nervously but didn't pull away.
Kairo's sharp eyes caught it instantly.
He leapt to his feet, pointing dramatically like he'd uncovered a grand conspiracy.
"Oi, oi, oi! What's this? Dating already?!"
Mira and Reika jumped apart as if struck by lightning.
"NO!"
"NO!"
They shouted at the same time, faces burning red.
Kaien dramatically clutched his chest.
"Ouch. Shot through the heart. Betrayed by my own little brother."
Zariel, lounging in the branches above, deadpanned, "Nobody's surprised except you."
Farl, chewing on some dry bread, nodded.
"Yeah, even the cabbage man saw this coming."
Reika scratched his head and laughed awkwardly. Mira turned an even deeper shade of red.
Trying to salvage some pride, Reika grabbed Mira's wrist and tugged her around the side of the training grounds, away from the others.
They stopped by the old well.
Reika cleared his throat.
"Mira... can I ask you something?"
She tilted her head. "Of course."
"Your demonic powers... where do they come from? I mean, who's your... father?"
Mira's smile softened, a hint of sadness flickering in her eyes.
"My father was human," she said quietly. "He was a blacksmith. And my mother..." she looked up at the sky, "was the first female demon blacksmith. She taught me everything before she passed."
Reika's heart twinged.
His pupils flickered — a subtle color shift only demons noticed — the color of deep trust.
Mira caught it immediately, her own eyes widening slightly.
Then she smiled, leaning closer.
"What about you, Reika? Where does your power come from?"
Reika's heart skipped.
He looked away, guilt gnawing at him.
"I..." he hesitated, shoulders tensing.
"You can trust me," Mira whispered.
Reika sighed heavily, fists clenching and unclenching.
"My father... is Asmodai."
The world seemed to slow. Mira stiffened, her breathing caught in her throat.
She stared at him for a long moment.
Fear gnawed at the edge of her heart.
Asmodai — the demon of wrath, the destroyer, the unforgivable monster.
Yet when she looked at Reika's trembling hands... at his nervous, guilty smile...
All she saw was the boy who ran after her under the full moon, the boy who made her laugh.
Mira stepped closer, placed her hand over his.
"Well... that's something," she said, voice shaking slightly. "But you aren't your father, Reika."
Her fingers squeezed his.
"And... I love you either way."
Reika froze like a deer in headlights.
His brain just short-circuited.
"Wait—"
"You what—?"
"You love—"
"Huh—?"
Mira giggled at his face, poking his forehead.
"You're cute when you glitch."
They laughed together, the tension breaking like a brittle shell.
Later That Night...
At the dinner table, Kairo was mid-rant.
"I'm just saying, if you think she's mad, just THROW HER OFF A CLIFF and catch her. Instant romance."
Reika slammed his head into the table.
"PLEASE STOP TALKING."
Kaien, leaning back in his chair, nodded sagely.
"That's how I almost married the princess of Pithos."
Zariel, sipping from his tea, chimed in lazily.
"Didn't she kick you in the nuts after you tried to save her from falling off a three-foot ledge?"
"...Details," Kaien muttered.
Farl, who was nearby, just shook her head.
"If this is what you call 'love advice,' it's a miracle any of you are alive."
Reika, red-faced and exhausted, just groaned into his plate.
[Bonus Scene]
As the night wind howled outside, Reika leaned against the window, staring at the stars.
He thought of Mira.
Her smile. Her tears. Her strength.
He grinned to himself.
Behind him, Kaien whispered like a ghost, "If she talks too much, you know what to do."
Reika didn't even look back.
"Kaien... if you don't leave me alone, I'm throwing you off a cliff."
Kaien's laughter echoed down the hallway.