Laughter bounced off the walls of the spacious, upscale apartment.
"Ahh... finally home. I'm dead tired..." The eldest girl let out a sigh of pure relief as she collapsed onto the couch.
Four other girls gathered around her, and anyone walking in would be forgiven for doing a double take—they all looked exactly alike.
Quintuplets.
The front door clicked shut, and the nameplate beside it read, in crisp lettering: Nakano.
"Hey, Ichika, you're hogging all the space. Move over." The second girl, her hair tied with two black butterfly ribbons, nudged her way toward the couch.
That was Nino Nakano, the second oldest. The sisters' names followed their birth order, making the one sprawled out—Ichika Nakano—the eldest.
"Oops, sorry, sorry. Come sit." Ichika grinned, wriggling aside as she hugged a throw pillow, her face pressed into it with a contented, muffled sound.
Nino settled in, glancing at her three younger sisters: Miku, Yotsuba, and Itsuki.
"So, what now? With scores like these, we're doomed. Dad's going to come storming home from the office when he finds out." Nino's tone was half worried, half resigned.
Yotsuba shrank back, awkwardly scratching at her green ribbon. She'd come in dead last again—another glorious zero.
Miku lounged against the armrest, headphones askew, while Itsuki rummaged in the fridge for milk.
"Just get ready to apologize," Miku murmured, her voice barely above a whisper. She had no intention of explaining further.
"I don't think it's a big deal..." Itsuki muttered after a sip of milk. "Dad's probably used to it by now."
The room fell into a familiar, comfortable silence.
Ichika rolled over, stretching. "I'm exhausted. After a shower, I'm curling up here to catch the newest movie."
"Hmph, if you guys aren't worried, I'm not gonna stress either." Nino smirked, giving up on the whole thing.
Itsuki wandered over, milk in hand, when something caught her eye—a slip of paper poking out of Yotsuba's pocket.
"Hm? Yotsuba, what's this?"
She reached over and plucked the flyer free.
The sisters leaned in. The paper was printed with a complex magic circle.
Itsuki squinted at the text and read aloud: "The most miraculous wish-granting magic. Fulfill any desire—make your wish now..."
Nino groaned, rolling her eyes. "Seriously? I thought some boy slipped you a love letter. Yotsuba, why are you still playing with kiddie stuff?"
Yotsuba laughed, embarrassed. "No, it's not that! I got it from a super pretty lady handing out flyers on my way home. She looked so hardworking, I just took one to be nice..."
"Probably another lame mall promotion." Nino shrugged. "You're too soft, Yotsuba. You don't have to take every flyer handed to you."
"Heh... I just felt bad for her, working so hard..." Yotsuba scratched her head, sheepish.
The others let it go. That was just Yotsuba.
"This doesn't even say what the event is. Weird flyer." Itsuki tossed it onto the coffee table.
Miku, perched on the armrest, gave it a passing glance.
Yotsuba's green ribbon bobbed as she leaned closer. "Let me see... wish-granting magic... Ooh, do you think it works?"
Nino snorted. "Come on, Yotsuba. You really believe that? You're such a kid."
Yotsuba grinned. "Well, maybe it'll give me some luck. I got zero again, and I really did try my best..."
Ichika laughed. "You'd think guessing would get you a few points. Maybe you really do need to pray for luck."
"Exactly! That's what I'm saying!" Yotsuba started muttering, hands pressed together in a mock prayer. She looked genuinely hopeful.
Her sisters watched in silence. If wishing worked, they'd have asked the gods for perfect scores ages ago.
But while the others rolled their eyes, Yotsuba's wish was unexpectedly sincere.
A moment later, the flyer on the table began to glow.
It pulsed brighter, then floated into the air.
"Eh!?" Itsuki froze, milk halfway to her lips, staring at the levitating magic circle.
Miku and Nino saw it next, and Ichika sat up at the sound of Itsuki's startled gasp.
Under four pairs of stunned eyes, the magic circle peeled away from the flyer, expanding in midair and shining with growing intensity.
Whoosh.
A soft sound, like wind.
A figure emerged from the glowing formation, landing lightly before the five girls.
Yotsuba, hands still pressed together, gaped at the boy who had appeared out of nowhere. For a moment, she forgot to move, frozen in prayer.
Draconis had arrived, summoned by the magic. This time, he'd used his own teleportation circle—a perk of finally reaching mid-class devil status. The magic felt smooth, almost exhilarating.
He glanced at his summoner, eyebrows raised. Five girls, all identical?
What was going on here?
Internally, he was surprised. Outwardly, he kept his cool, meeting Yotsuba's eyes—he knew she was the one who'd called him.
"In response to your summoning, lovely miss, I am Draconis—a devil, here to grant your wish."
The room fell silent.
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