Lowering his head to look at the limp, unresponsive girl in his arms — Shiina Mahiru, whose eyes were lifeless and mind seemingly blank — a trace of pity flashed in Hayashi Maki's eyes.
Every follower, based on the nature of their soul and personality, would grant him — the demon — different abilities.
And the "super regeneration" ability clearly reflected Shiina Mahiru's inner gentleness. She was a girl like an angel.
Yet he had taken her without even telling her his name, taking advantage of her heartbreak.
"I really am a demon, huh."
But… why did it feel so good?
Hayashi Maki contentedly stroked Shiina Mahiru's damp golden hair, carried her into the bathroom, and took a bath with her.
Afterward, he carried her back to bed.
He even changed the sheets — only then did it feel comfortable enough to lie down.
Shiina Mahiru, aside from flushing red for a bit, said nothing. She quietly leaned into his arms…
Letting him hold her.
Her breathing slowly became steady. Too exhausted, she actually fell asleep.
Hayashi Maki recalled what he knew about her from the anime.
Shiina Mahiru was from The Angel Next Door Spoils Me Rotten.
Her parents, Shiina Asahi and Shiina Sayo, were forced into marriage for family interests. She was the result of a drunken, loveless night.
Her so-called parents never cared for her and left her to be raised by a caretaker named Kujikawa Koyuki.
Since she was young, she intentionally molded herself into a gentle, obedient, and virtuous "angel" — and worked hard in many areas — but still could never close the gap between her parents.
The reason she sat alone in the rain, despairing, was because she had just learned the truth from her mother: she was never a wanted child.
No matter how outstanding she behaved, her parents would never look at her, never return home to eat dinner with her.
She was a scar to them. Just seeing her reopened old wounds. They would never give her love.
All this time, from birth to now, entering high school, she had believed she just wasn't good enough — and that's why she worked so hard.
But now, having learned the truth — that her efforts had always been meaningless — her heart shattered instantly.
So she had gone out and sat in the rain, giving up.
And Hayashi Maki… picked her up at that exact moment.
Now that he understood the reason for her despair, Hayashi Maki felt more confident.
"In short, this girl just lacked love."
"Since that's the case… I'll take care of her from now on."
She was already his follower. As a demon, Hayashi Maki certainly didn't want to lose her.
He gently stroked her soft golden hair again, pulled up the blanket, and held her as they drifted off to sleep.
"The rest… can wait till tomorrow. For now, let's rest."
…
The Next Morning
Shiina Mahiru slowly opened her blurry eyes.
"Ah… it hurts!"
A tingling ache from her lower body made her instinctively furrow her brows.
She sat up, only to see the man beside her, still sound asleep with his arms around her.
He was handsome — a black-haired pretty boy.
But the problem was...
Did they really... do that last night?
Flashbacks of shameful scenes surged from the depths of her memory.
Her head buzzed.
Yes, she had been in despair last night — but now that she had slept and sobered up, regret consumed her.
Her eyes welled up.
Sorrow, frustration, and humiliation overwhelmed her. Tears fell uncontrollably.
How could I have given away my body so easily...?
She was crying silently when—
Hayashi Maki opened his eyes, suddenly hugged her tightly, and pressed her back onto the bed.
He lowered his head again — and kissed her lips.
She reflexively bit him — hard.
The taste of blood spread in their mouths — a sign of her fury.
Hayashi Maki didn't care at all. He endured the pain, hugged her tighter, and continued the kiss.
Even if his head got cut off, he could regenerate. So what if his tongue or lips were injured?
He wouldn't die. All that mattered was expressing his passion.
Shiina Mahiru panicked as he refused to let her go.
But at the same time… a strange feeling rose inside her.
Her body softened.
She slowly closed her beautiful eyes.
Tears still slid down her cheeks — but she didn't resist anymore.
He'd already taken her once. What difference did another time make...?
She tightly gripped the bedsheet.
Might as well pretend she was bitten by a dog.
Time passed.
Morning "training" ended.
Hayashi Maki gently stroked her golden hair.
"My name is Hayashi Maki. First year at Hakuo Academy. And you?"
"..."
She glanced at him but didn't reply.
"Say something. If you don't, I'll kiss you again~"
Her cheeks flushed red.
"You seriously pretending you don't know my name? I'm in Class 1-B too, you bastard! You pervert who took advantage of me!"
Hayashi Maki answered seriously:
"I really didn't know. I got hit by a car on the first day of school. I just got discharged yesterday."
That accident was when he regained his memories as a transmigrator and awakened the demon system.
Mahiru looked at him, stunned.
"You're the guy everyone talked about? The one who got hit by a car on day one?"
"…Yeah, that's me."
"Though now, I think I've gotten pretty lucky."
He hugged her waist tightly to let her feel his warmth.
Her face turned crimson. She pushed him and looked at him tearfully.
"Stop… it hurts…"
He smirked, kissed her lightly.
"Don't worry. I won't bully you anymore."
"Funny, though. We're classmates."
She turned her face away and ignored him.
He knew it had all happened too fast. She wasn't ready to accept it.
So he whispered in her ear:
"I'll take responsibility."
Mahiru grabbed his arm and pinched hard.
"Dream on! You think you can just get away with everything?"
"I'm not that stupid!"
He blinked.
"So… I don't need to take responsibility?"
"Hmph! No! Just stay away from me! Forget everything that happened!"
She shoved him away, sat up, and looked for her clothes.
When she saw her wrinkled black stockings on the floor, her face turned red with anger.
Stockings aren't free! And you ripped them like this?! You total pervert!
She quickly put on her bra, school uniform, and skirt — then limped out of the room and ran into her own apartment next door.
In the bathroom, she sobbed while washing her pale body. Her heart was full of confusion.
…
As a demon, Hayashi Maki could see his follower's status.
Using his demonic powers, he watched her cry — and it pained him.
But what was done was done. Regret was meaningless.
And even if he had to choose again — he'd still take action.
A good girl like her — if I didn't act fast, someone else would've snatched her.
And then I'd lose out to some blonde pretty boy.
Now, all he could do was find a way to warm her heart — and slowly make her accept him.
And really, things weren't so bad. He and Mahiru had a great starting point.
They'd already reached the most intimate stage. Mahiru the angel… would make a great wife.