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It took Andrew a few minutes to explain to Asada Shino what he really was—a demon.
Shino instinctively covered her mouth, wide-eyed. The revelation hit her so hard it took her a moment just to process it.
But soon, she took a slow breath, slipped her arms gently around his neck, and said with a soft smile,"No matter who—or what—you are… after everything between us, Andrew, you'd better take responsibility for me for the rest of my life."
So what if he was a demon?
He was gentler than any angel she'd ever known.An angel wouldn't answer her unspoken hopes.An angel wouldn't swoop in to save her when she was being pushed around.
And this wasn't even the first time he'd done it for her.
Seeing the trust in her eyes, Andrew reached up to ruffle her hair and murmured,"Of course. I'll take full responsibility for you, Shino. So—would you be willing to become my 'familiar' and entrust everything to me?"
She nodded without hesitation."I would."
"I don't really understand what being a familiar means, but… it means you'll always protect me, right?"
"Of course. Even if you said no, I'd keep protecting you until you said yes."
He gave a light chuckle. "A demon's familiar is basically no different from a wife. We'd be together for life."
Her cheeks went crimson at his words. Still, her curiosity got the better of her."So… does Shiina know about this? Is she your familiar too?"
"I haven't told her yet. But yes—she's already my familiar."
As he spoke, he tilted her chin up and leaned closer."The contract's already in place. Which means it's time for the next step. Becoming my familiar comes with special powers. Do you want them, Shino?"
"Well… if I could, of course I'd want them. But… how?"
The thought of her past weakness flashed in her mind, and with it, a deep longing—she wanted the strength to protect herself, and to protect the man who had always protected her.
Andrew's gaze softened as his lips drew nearer."It's simple. We just… do what we did earlier. Mmm, say… a few dozen more times."
Her face went from red to pale in an instant."A–a few dozen? That's… that's impossible! Absolutely impossible!"
She'd be ruined!
"Haha, don't look so scared. It's just a way to deepen our bond."
"Once my magic adjusts your body to handle my power, you'll awaken your own abilities."
He added with a reassuring smile, "We can take it slow too. Even Mahiru hasn't awakened her powers yet, so there's no rush."
Only then did she relax, letting out a small sigh. She shot him a mock glare and tapped him lightly on the chest."You're terrible—scaring me like that."
"I thought… I thought you were going to… break me right now."
Andrew caught her small fist in his hand, smiling."Silly girl. How could I bear to do that? I finally have you—I'm going to treasure you, Shino."
"Now, it's still early. Let's work on getting you to awaken your powers quickly."
"Otherwise, living here alone isn't exactly safe for you."
He leaned in again, lowering his head toward her flushed, pink lips.
Shino's face burned hotter, and she closed her eyes shyly.
Refusing him? Not a chance.
Time was short—he'd be back with Shiina soon. That only made her want to hold on tighter to the moments they had.
Even if he'd said that demons could have more than one wife, and even if that made her the other woman—the one who'd stolen her friend's man—her conscience still pricked at her.
But… so what?
Andrew had taken down the people who'd tried to hurt her.
She wanted to return that affection, make him happy.
So, naturally, their closeness deepened.
And it went on for a long time.
...
It had been a long while.
Asada Shino lay limp and relaxed in Andrew's arms, snuggling against him with lazy contentment.
She playfully poked his chin with a fingertip, her eyes fixed on his handsome profile. Without even meaning to, her lips curled into a sweet, happy smile.
Andrew didn't stop her teasing. Instead, he lowered his head and kissed her.
"You know, Shino, you're ridiculously cute without your glasses. And besides, those things aren't even prescription."
Faced with the mix of flattery and mild teasing, Shino's cheeks grew warm. She hesitated for a moment before explaining where the glasses had come from.
"They were in an ad—it said they could block bullets. Crazy expensive too. Cost me fifty thousand yen."
"You know, after what happened when I was a kid—shooting that robber—I've had this huge mental block. Without these glasses, I can't even leave the house without panicking. It's pathetic, isn't it?"
Her voice softened with self-reproach. Years of isolation had made it hard for her to shake the mindset.
Andrew looked at her downcast expression and tightened his arms around her, pulling her closer into his chest.
"Silly girl. You're already braver than you think. You still go out, you work to support yourself—that's more than a lot of people can say."
"Shino… are you still afraid of that gun?"
"Mm… not sure," she admitted, fidgeting. She wanted to try, but part of her dreaded falling apart again.
Of course, no girl wants the man she likes to see her at her weakest. She enjoyed his warmth and protection, but her pride wanted more. She wanted to be strong enough to protect him too.
"Then let's test it."
With a flick of his wrist, the handgun they'd taken from Shinkawa Kyouji appeared in his hand.
The moment Shino saw the familiar weapon, her body stiffened—but to her surprise, the fear she'd braced for didn't come.
It was almost as if the shadow over her heart had already lifted. She even reached out, took the gun from him, and turned it over in her hands, studying it.
Andrew smiled, relieved.
"Looks like you're not afraid anymore. I knew it—anyone who could throw themselves in front of a bullet for me in a crisis is braver than she realizes."
"Ugh, stop it! That's so embarrassing." She buried her burning face against his chest.
But deep down, she knew it was true. The fear was gone.
Seeing her flustered expression, Andrew felt another kind of temptation stir. His plan to simply replenish her magic energy… ended up going further.
It was quite a while before he finally left Shino's place.
On the way, he opened his status screen.
[Demon Familiar Panel]
Familiar 1: Mahiru Shiina (Grants Super Healing)
Familiar 2: Haruno Yukinoshita (Grants Damage Absorption & Transfer)
Familiar 3: Asada Shino (Grants Guaranteed Hit on Attacks)
Guaranteed hit?
That meant if he locked onto a target, no matter how he attacked, it would land. Clearly Shino's sniper instincts carried over.
He was more than satisfied. And when she awakened her full familiar powers, he'd gain even more.
The contract with her had also brought other boosts—his physical abilities, his magic reserves, and, well… certain other forms of stamina had all gone up again.
The more familiars he had, the stronger he became. He really was destined to be a man of many loves. And he fully intended to keep adding more talented familiars to his side.
After Andrew left, Shino took a long shower.
Back in her room, one look at the messy sheets sent a rush of heat to her face. She hurried to strip the bed and toss the sheets into the wash.
As she worked, flashes of what had happened earlier replayed in her mind, sending little waves of warmth through her chest.
From now on, she had someone she could rely on. She wouldn't have to worry about being bullied or live in constant fear of a gun appearing out of nowhere.
Without that shadow hanging over her, the whole world felt brighter.
He might call himself a demon, but to her, he was like a ray of light cutting through the darkness.
"Sorry, Shiina… but a man like this? I'm never letting him go."
Well, they were all his familiars. She figured they could get along.
Her gaze fell on the bulletproof glasses she'd spent fifty thousand yen on. Maybe she wouldn't need them anymore—not for safety, anyway.
She had more than enough security now. Her heart was full of him, leaving no room for fear.
To be honest, when he told her he'd taken care of Endō's gang and Niikawa, she'd been a little shaken. But when she thought it through… if he hadn't finished them off, they would've come after her again, extorting her, maybe worse.
Niikawa today had been outright insane. The idea that he'd wanted to touch her made her skin crawl.
Andrew only killed the kind of people who deserved it—people who threatened her. Remembering that, she couldn't be afraid of him.
Besides, hadn't she killed someone too? A bank robber, no less.
She'd always felt a little ashamed of that, but now… maybe they were a perfect match.
And it was their little secret—Shiina didn't know.
She understood why; Andrew spoiled Shiina too much to tell her.
As the "other woman," Shino didn't see a reason to get jealous. She just hoped that when Shiina eventually found out about her and Andrew, she'd accept it, and the three of them could get along.
After all, Shino really did like Mahiru Shiina. She didn't want to lose such a good friend.
Greedy as it was, she wanted both friendship and love.
"..."
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