If last night was "monster slime ate my security deposit," then this morning was "please, dear gods, let nobody notice the six-foot-something demon lord in my living room."
Spoiler: people noticed.
Rumors Begin
The landlord stood in my doorway, staring at the black scorch marks on the floorboards. His eye twitched.
"What happened here?" he demanded.
Before I could invent a lie, Lucian appeared behind me like a shadow, crimson eyes glowing faintly. The landlord's face drained of color.
"Uh—uh—" He stumbled backward. "Forget the rent! I—I'll come back later!"
He bolted down the hall.
I turned slowly. "Lucian. Did you… glare him away?"
Lucian smirked. "Efficient, wasn't it?"
"Efficient? He's probably calling the police!"
The Frenzy
By lunchtime, the building was buzzing. Neighbors whispered. Someone had snapped a blurry photo of Lucian through my window and posted it online with the caption:
"Tall Hot Cosplayer or Actual Demon???"
The post blew up. By evening, my phone buzzed nonstop—friends, classmates, random numbers.
"Ayumi, why is there a vampire in your apartment??""Girl, hook me up, he's gorgeous!""If you're hiding a cryptid, at least monetize it."
I buried my face in my pillow. "I can't live like this."
Lucian, sitting calmly on my couch with his shadowy aura curling around him, arched a brow. "Attention is inevitable. Fear keeps them from interfering."
"Yeah, except the internet thinks you're my boyfriend now!"
Lucian blinked. "…I fail to see the issue."
I nearly choked. "YOU—You're not—ugh!"
Social Chaos
The next day at campus was worse. Students clustered around me in the courtyard, shoving their phones in my face.
"Is it true?""Is he single?""Does he drink blood or just protein shakes?"
I stammered, sweating, when Lucian appeared at my side like a dark guardian angel—or possibly a mafia bodyguard. The crowd fell silent, parting as he glared.
"Back," he commanded.
Everyone actually backed up.
One brave guy whispered, "Bro, is that your cosplay persona?"
Lucian's eyes glowed. "Do I look like I play games?"
The poor guy nearly fainted.
Humor in Tension
Later, over convenience-store ramen, I sighed. "You're like… the worst-kept secret ever. People are going to figure out you're not human."
Lucian calmly slurped noodles like it was beneath him but also delicious. "Then let them. I have faced armies. What are gossipers compared to that?"
"Gossip spreads faster than armies!" I wailed.
He smirked. "Then perhaps we should prepare for war."
Larger Threats
That night, as I lay awake, the runes on my wall from the shattered monster pulsed faintly, almost like they were watching.
I whispered, "Lucian… do you think those things are tracking us?"
His voice was low, serious for once. "Not just tracking. They are marking this place. A beacon. More will come."
My blood ran cold.
Before I could reply, my phone buzzed with a news alert:
BREAKING: Strange Creatures Reported Downtown – Authorities Investigating.
I froze. "…Lucian?"
His eyes narrowed, glowing red in the dark.
"They've already arrived."
⚡ End of Chapter 4
📌 Cliffhanger: The world isn't just gossiping—strange monsters are starting to show up outside Ayumi's apartment. The invasion has begun.