Ichika Nakano caught the look on Miku's face—a quiet, distracted softness that didn't quite match the usual study session vibe.
She paused, eyebrows knitting. Ichika's always been perceptive, and this was no exception. Miku… she's definitely fallen for Draconis. No hard evidence, just pure sisterly instinct.
That question earlier? For Miku, it wasn't idle gossip. It was the kind of thing you ask when you genuinely care.
Draconis glanced at Miku, sensing the shift too. Her sudden, personal question hadn't gone unnoticed.
"Any other questions?" he asked, voice steady. Yotsuba's hand shot up, but Draconis cut in, "I mean about the lesson."
Yotsuba blinked. "Uh… never mind."
Miku took a breath, steeling herself. Her feelings were written all over her face, but she pointed to a spot in her textbook. "I'm stuck on this part."
Draconis leaned in, settling beside her with a gentle smile. "That one's easy," he said, picking up a pen and walking her through the steps.
The other sisters watched, attention drifting from the lesson to the boy at the center of it all. There was something magnetic about him—a quiet, mysterious confidence.
As Draconis explained, Miku barely registered the words. The truth was, with reality-altering magic on their side, they'd memorized all this ages ago. But that wasn't the point.
Ichika, noticing Miku's dreamy expression, grinned mischievously. She stood up, pretending to reach for a pencil sharpener, then "lost her balance"—toppling into Miku, who tumbled straight into Draconis's chest.
"Eh?" Miku blinked, momentarily stunned. Then, catching up to what happened, her face went scarlet.
"Oops, sorry! My leg fell asleep," Ichika said, all apologies and laughter, secretly watching Miku's reaction.
Seeing her sister so flustered only confirmed Ichika's hunch. Miku was smitten. And honestly, who could blame her? Draconis was handsome, capable, gentle—like a hero straight out of a fairy tale.
Even if he was a devil.
But that didn't matter. Not to Ichika. Species wasn't the problem.
Actually… even she felt something for him.
Wait, what? Ichika shook her head, trying to clear away the thought. Was she really turning into the kind of woman who steals her sister's crush? But giving up on Draconis felt wrong, too.
She sighed inwardly, wondering when things had gotten so complicated. She wasn't even that close to him, so why all the strange feelings? Had she been charmed too?
Meanwhile, Miku, still flustered, quickly sat upright, cheeks burning. She shot Ichika a shy, reproachful look. "Ichika!"
Her voice was soft, embarrassed—more surprise than anger. She didn't seem to realize Ichika's move was intentional. But in her eyes, there was a spark of happiness. Her first real, close contact with Draconis.
Across the table, Nino, Yotsuba, and Itsuki exchanged glances, suspicion flickering in their eyes. Something was definitely up.
Draconis rapped his knuckles on the table, cool and collected. "Alright, focus up. Next are the must-know exam questions. Didn't show up last year, so they're bound to appear this time."
The girls snapped back to attention. Draconis couldn't help but feel a little exasperated.
Wasn't he supposed to just be their tutor? Why did it feel like everyone was starting to fall for him?
It's not like he'd done anything special to earn their affection. Even Ichika could see what was happening—how could someone as worldly as Draconis possibly miss it?
But attraction was unpredictable. He didn't really believe in love at first sight, but maybe it was just "see and swoon"—and he happened to tick all the right boxes.
Maybe he really did have some kind of "automatic favorability buff" with girls.
Whatever. He was a devil now—why worry about it?
If they liked him, let it happen. He'd just go with the flow.
With that, Draconis refocused, ready to keep teaching at his own pace.
Minutes ticked by. Before anyone realized, the sky outside was pitch black.
"Whoa, it's already nine?" Ichika exclaimed, surprised at herself. She'd never expected a study session to last this long.
"Seriously? I've been studying for three straight hours!" Yotsuba blurted, wide-eyed.
Draconis, deadpan: "Yeah, and I've been teaching for three hours. Funny how that works."
Everyone: "…"
He flipped through the textbooks. "Still so much left. Even two days might not be enough."
"Um, maybe we can just… skip it? It's only midterms," Itsuki mumbled, hoping to dodge more work. Finals were what really mattered to her.
Draconis narrowed his eyes. "Contract says midterms count. If you all pass, I can wrap up the job and collect my payment early. No way I'm missing that chance."
"…So when the job's done, you won't come anymore?" Yotsuba asked suddenly.
Her question made the other girls tense up, eyes fixed on Draconis.
He smiled. "Of course I won't—unless you give me a new commission."
Their faces lit up. So that's all it took—a new request.
"Hmph, why bother with a new commission? If our grades aren't good enough, you'll have to keep teaching us, right?" Nino chimed in, a sly grin on her face.
Draconis laughed. "You know, Nino, you've got the makings of a devil yourself."
"…I was kidding. But since you're working so hard, I'll try my best," Nino huffed, turning away.
Draconis tapped the table. "Alright, to make sure you don't fail, we're pulling an extra shift tonight—two more hours."
"Eh?! No way, we've been at this forever…" Ichika protested. "Can't we play a board game instead?"
Draconis was unmoved. "Study first, then play."
"…" …
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