To win over a demon like Vignette, Hayashi Maki knew he had to show real skill.
Sweet talk alone wouldn't cut it.
He'd already figured that out when "training" Satania. His mana was purer and of higher quality than a typical demon's. That meant his spell effects were stronger, and his attack magic hit at least ten times harder than an ordinary demon's.
So guiding Vignette wouldn't be hard: infuse his mana into her body, sync her mana to resonate with his, and her power would begin to condense—raising the quality of her mana.
"Mm… senpai… it feels all tingly."
The resonance left Vignette's body soft and weak. Blushing, she peeked up at him, mortified. Her small hand in his made the embarrassment spike—this was her first time being this close to a boy. Hand-holding was a boyfriend's privilege.
"Tingling is normal. Focus—match the frequency of my mana's oscillation. That's the key to your growth."
"Y-yes, senpai! I'll remember!"
She could feel her power rising, and her respect for Hayashi Maki deepened instinctively.
What she didn't know was that mana resonance and exchange were things only partners did. She was still just a young demon—too green. Without realizing it, she'd stepped right into Hayashi Maki's trap. Allowing him to guide her mana had already met the threshold for a preliminary contract.
About half an hour later, Hayashi Maki let go of her hand and smiled. "That's enough for today. With your constitution, this is the limit. Feel it out."
Vignette closed her eyes and sensed inward. Horns and wings shimmered into view. Moments later she opened her eyes, delighted.
"Senpai, I feel like I could beat ten of the old me!"
Hayashi Maki nodded—and then softened, laying his head in her lap and closing his eyes.
"I burned a lot of mana. As payment, let me nap here for a bit."
"Um… th-then… okay."
Looking down at his peaceful face on her thighs, Vignette felt something stir. She was shy—but after he'd given so much to make her stronger, how could she refuse?
(He'd only spent about one percent of his mana.)
Truthfully, he didn't even know his own limits—he was cautious by nature, and having never met a truly strong foe, he had no precise measure of his power. Still, if Netherworld demons were generally at Vignette's level, he could probably play Demon King for fun.
As she gazed at his handsome face, heat rose in Vignette's cheeks. She hadn't really noticed before, but… senpai was very good-looking. There wasn't a single boy demon her age in the Netherworld who could match him.
Just before class, she finally worked up the nerve to wake him. "Um… senpai, wake up—it's almost time." She poked his cheek and snatched her hand back like she'd been shocked, blushing hard.
He opened his eyes and yawned. "Mm—time already? Let's go…"
He sat up; his head left her lap. She tried to stand—and nearly collapsed, legs numb. Hayashi Maki caught her by the waist before she fell.
"Ugh… senpai, my legs fell asleep."
"Sorry—let me ease it with mana." He set his hands on her thighs and began to massage gently. Vignette squeaked, clapping a hand over her mouth. She wanted to protest that a girl's thighs weren't to be touched so casually—but seeing his earnest, concerned look, the words died. She endured, mortified.
Hayashi Maki, meanwhile, was pleased. After thoroughly—cough—massaging the demon girl's legs, he pulled his hands back, straight-faced.
"Okay, Vignette. Should be fine now. Let's get back to class."
"Mm…" She nodded, and walked back with him, sneaking looks at his face the whole way—some special feeling budding in her heart.
Satania and Gabriel were right, she thought. Hayashi Maki is really a very, very good boy.
The simple demon girl didn't realize how much he'd gotten away with. Still, she had it better than Satania—the latter's "training package" was far more excessive.
Back at their seats, the bell rang. PE was next. Under class rep Shinka's direction, everyone left to change and gather on the field. After warm-ups, the teacher had them form their own pairs for tennis.
Naturally, Miura Yumiko invited Hayashi Maki to play. In junior high she'd been a competitive player, even captaining her team to a prefectural runner-up finish. A girl who's just defined a relationship wants her boy to see her strengths—to be charmed. So she asked him.
Hayashi Maki, of course, couldn't show true power. One serve and he might literally blast his girlfriend off the court. His mana control was excellent, so he played her evenly—losing a few points now and then to keep her happy. The goal: lose a little, win a little more. He couldn't let her look down on him either; he had to show a touch of skill.
Yumiko was thrilled—almost euphoric. Playing Hayashi Maki brought back the feeling of junior high competition; confidence bloomed on her face.
Hayama Hayato was playing against Tobe Kakeru. Yet his smile seemed a little off. The fact that Yumiko hadn't invited him, but had invited Hayashi Maki, had hit the always-confident Hayama harder than he expected. He didn't like Yumiko, and had no intention of dating her. But seeing the once-chirpy, pretty girl redirect her enthusiasm to another boy left him with a hollow feeling.
Hayashi Maki didn't spare Hayama a thought. So long as no one "glowed red," there was no need to "target" anyone. He was busy having fun with Yumiko when—boom.
Under everyone's stunned gaze, Satania was blasted into the wall by one of Vignette's shots, like a cannonball. Vignette felt the stares and panicked. She'd just amped her mana and still didn't know how to control it. Had she killed Satania?
She needn't have worried. Satania sprang up, eyes alight.
"Nicely done, Vignette! Heh-heh—then the great demon Satania will show her true power!"
They rallied anew; Vignette's strength settled to normal. The class lost interest. Though they'd been shocked a moment ago, they quickly wrote it off as Satania's chūnibyō act—obviously a stunt.
Gabriel, however, watched Vignette with glowing eyes—literally. Her mana had shot up. How had Hayashi Maki done that? She turned her angelic Insight on him—only to see that, aside from being fitter than most, he was just a normal human.
Hayashi Maki received a prompt:
[Auto-deflected Angel's Insight. Supplied falsified data.]
"Huh? What's going on?" he mused. "Gabriel peeking at me?"