The sun streamed through the window while the fan's breeze cooled the room.
Daniel got ready with a smile on his face.
"A change of clothes, my phone, and some money," he murmured while packing his backpack. "Perfect. I've got everything."
Cheerful, he left his room humming a popular tune. As he went down the stairs, a little girl stopped him.
"Dani, remember to bring me the dessert I asked for."
Daniel hesitated; if their mother found out, she'd be upset.
"Sami, if Mom finds out, she'll think you hate her desserts. Can't you just take something from our store to school?"
The girl, Sami, shook her finger in disapproval.
"I don't hate Mom's desserts. Just think about it, brother—if you always eat the same thing, you end up getting tired of it. I just want a bit of excitement outside the house."
Daniel sighed, ruffling his little sister's hair.
"You sound like a middle-aged man looking for adventure, you know that?"
She protested, pushing his hand away from her already messy hair.
"What do you know about adventure? You can't even ask Sally out!"
Daniel grimaced. His sister could be cruel—always joking, yet somehow hitting where it hurt.
"Alright, I'm leaving. But if Mom finds out, I'm blaming you."
Sami just huffed and headed back upstairs.
Daniel shook his head, chuckling softly.
As he passed through his mother's bakery, the scent of freshly baked bread and the sight of pastries in the display cases filled his senses.
His mother, who was cleaning the counter, stopped him.
"Dani, remember to be here early tomorrow. Your father's taking us to visit your grandparents."
Daniel frowned slightly. He didn't dislike his grandparents, but being surrounded by cousins and uncles always drained him.
"Can't we go on the weekend?"
"They're getting old, you know. We don't know how much longer we'll have them with us. Life isn't guaranteed," she said, patting his head.
He felt a little awkward—he was taller than his mother, and her patting his head felt odd.
"Alright, I'll come back early. See you later."
"Take care," she said, hugging him. Daniel left the shop.
When he reached the bus stop, he checked his messages. Paul had invited him to play basketball that weekend. Daniel hesitated—he hadn't played since breaking his finger, and he knew his friends would tease him for crying that time.
"Tch. Idiots. They have no idea how much it hurt."
Then a message caught his eye. It was from Sally—the girl he liked. She had replied.
Overjoyed, Daniel clenched his fist, grateful he hadn't agreed to play with Paul. As he started planning where to take Sally, the bus began to move, and he slowly drifted into sleep.
The screech of brakes jolted him awake. Everything spun. Before he could understand what was happening, screams, smoke, and fire filled the air.
A suffocating sensation engulfed him—his body was trapped among the twisted metal wreckage...
---
With a start, Daniel woke up gasping. Cold sweat drenched his body, and his wings had burst out, tearing through his clothes.
He took several deep breaths until he calmed down. Placing his hands on his head, he sighed and gradually regained composure.
The nightmares weren't frequent anymore, but sometimes they returned, reminding him of the day of the accident.
Fortunately, thanks to Asia's help, he was getting better each day.
---
Daniel got out of bed and stretched. Still tired, he removed the scraps of clothing hanging from his body.
His wings were useful but had the annoying habit of ruining his clothes every now and then.
Clicking his tongue, he bent down, pulled a box from under the bed, and looked for something to wear.
Once dressed, he headed toward the kitchen. As he descended the stairs, the sound of cutlery and the aroma of breakfast reached him. For several days now, Asia had been cooking in the mornings; according to her, it was her way of thanking him for letting her live there. Though Daniel suspected that Aika had told her something about "feeding him to tie him down."
He wasn't dumb; lately, he had noticed Asia's behavior toward him. It was clear there was some interest beyond friendship, even if she herself didn't realize it because of her innocent personality.
Daniel wasn't blind to those feelings, but he didn't feel ready to start something with the blonde nun. He liked her—found her adorable—but still had doubts. The reason for his hesitation was sitting in the living room, eating breakfast.
"Good morning, Toujo-chan. Is it good?" Daniel asked nervously, his eyes fixed on her cute face.
"Mm-hmm."
The petite girl just nodded, still chewing.
Daniel smiled foolishly before heading to the kitchen, trying to calm his racing heart.
With a sigh, he seriously considered talking to Kiba.
Did demons really have mating seasons? Since when had he been feeling this way?
If he remembered correctly, probably since that time at the club. And it had only gotten worse since the day he'd talked about his family with the girls...
"Good morning, Daniel~! Help yourself, I made plenty!" said the beautiful blonde with a bright smile when she saw him.
Daniel smiled back, his gaze lingering on her face for a few seconds. His heart quickened again.
He sighed. He knew exactly what was happening, but he didn't feel worthy. After all… he cared for both of them.
---
The sound of footsteps and Asia's light laughter accompanied him on his way to school.
It had been a week since their last encounter with the fallen angels. During that time, there had been no more attacks or news from Grigori.
Asia had fully settled in: she'd distributed the contract flyers and was in high demand. She also enjoyed attending school and chatting with her new friends. You could say the conflict with the fallen ones had ended cleanly, and Asia had found her happy ending.
She felt calmer and happier now. When she looked at Daniel, her heart fluttered, and her cheeks grew warm.
It had been like that lately, and she didn't quite understand why. When she told Aika, the girl only laughed and started giving her strange advice—the most normal one being about food...
Soon, the school came into view. The three of them greeted President Sona, who was watching over the entrance that morning.
Asia spotted Aika waving enthusiastically. She smiled back before turning to Daniel and Koneko to say goodbye, then headed to her classroom.
The two watched her for a moment before heading to theirs.
"Daniel…" Koneko said hesitantly, pointing at the ground.
Daniel looked down and sighed.
"Again," he thought, picking up the card on the floor.
Ever since he'd received that deck, the cards had started appearing on their own. At first, he thought it was because of the "bond with it" message the system mentioned, meaning all the cards would eventually manifest or disappear by themselves.
However, so far it only happened with the Dark World deck. It was strange, but after checking the system, nothing seemed out of place.
Still uncertain, he dissolved the card in his hand into gray mist.