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Jack's arrival hit the Nakano quintuplets like a shockwave.
It took a while, but once the initial disbelief wore off, they gradually settled down and regained their composure.
Mostly because… he just didn't feel dangerous.
Jack was calm to a fault, not intimidating in the slightest. Once their fear faded, curiosity quickly took over. This "extraordinary" presence in front of them pulled them in before they even realized it.
After all, this was something beyond the ordinary. For girls who had lived entirely normal lives, it was like being introduced to a whole new side of the world.
"So there's actually a side of this world we normal people know nothing about…" Itsuki murmured, full of wonder.
"These things don't really have much to do with you," Jack replied evenly. "Most of the time, angels, fallen angels, and devils don't interfere with the human world. And about my identity… I'd appreciate it if you kept it a secret. Just treat me like a normal person."
Now that the three factions had reached a ceasefire, at most there were only minor skirmishes here and there.
Their numbers were far too small. Humanity had long since become the dominant force in the world, and that was simply reality.
"So, Nakano Yotsuba," Jack continued, his tone steady, "would you like to form a contract with me? I can let you experience my power firsthand."
Since he was presenting himself as a devil, there was no need to pretend to be ordinary anymore. To the girls, he came off a little distant, a little cool.
"Mm… sure!" Yotsuba perked up instantly. "Come on! Let me become a magical girl who saves the world!"
"You won't be saving the world," Jack said calmly, "but you're already a beautiful girl."
Then he casually picked up her school bag and pulled out a textbook.
"I'll go over the material with you. Once I do, you'll remember everything."
The room went silent.
"Uh… do we really have to study?" Nino asked, half-lidded. "Can't you just use magic to, you know… upload the knowledge straight into our brains?"
"Sorry," Jack said, almost amused. "Even devils don't have that kind of magic."
He couldn't help thinking—he was already offering to teach it once, and they still wanted to skip the effort?
Yotsuba, on the other hand, was fully on board. She immediately sat down beside him like a model student, brimming with determination.
"You're all second-years, right? Perfect. I've already learned this stuff, so teaching you won't be a problem."
He pointed to a section in the textbook—the exact topic their teacher had covered earlier that day. He had mastered it long ago. Teaching someone like Yotsuba was more than manageable.
"Mr. Jack… you're a high schooler too?" Miku blinked, surprised.
"Yeah. Second year. Is that strange?"
"Uh… it just doesn't match my image of a devil at all," Ichika said with a dry laugh.
The others nodded in agreement.
Aren't devils supposed to be out there causing chaos and destruction?
So how did this one end up as a high schooler handing out "contracts" and helping people with their problems?
Jack calmly spun a pencil in his hand, unfazed.
"Before you understand what the world is really like, who can say what's true?"
Wasn't he the same at first? Thinking all devils were evil?
And then he became one himself… and well, turns out it wasn't so bad.
"Alright, let's begin," he said. "I'll explain it once. Yotsuba, listen carefully."
"Got it! Oh, just call me Yotsuba!" she said brightly, flashing an energetic smile.
"Alright, Yotsuba. Nice to meet you."
With that, he naturally closed the distance between them and began explaining.
At the same time, he subtly used his power—tweaking her cognition, reinforcing her memory, making sure every word he said stuck.
It didn't take long.
"And? Did you remember everything I just explained?"
He looked at Yotsuba, then swept his gaze across the other four.
Ichika and the rest looked completely lost. To them, his explanation might as well have been written in an alien language.
But Yotsuba—
"I remembered it all!!" she shouted excitedly.
Jack nodded, satisfied.
Then, a second later, his expression froze.
Yotsuba blinked at him.
"But… I still don't understand the questions…"
"Why?" he asked, confused. "I just explained the concepts."
"Eh? That was the concept!?" Yotsuba looked utterly shocked.
Jack: "…"
For the first time, he felt like he'd just stepped into a trap.
He understood now.
Yes, he had used magic to force the knowledge into her memory.
But…
For an idiot, what good is memorizing something you don't understand?
That was his miscalculation.
Jack narrowed his eyes slightly.
There was no doubt about it—the girl in front of him, Nakano Yotsuba, was a lovable idiot.
Maybe he'd underestimated how hard learning actually was…
Even with perfect memory, knowledge doesn't magically become understanding.
Ichika and the others were speechless too.
"How is that possible… even magic can't save you, Yotsuba?" Ichika muttered, half laughing, half exasperated.
"No saving her," Miku sighed.
Nino smiled slyly. "Were you too busy thinking about being a magical girl?"
"There must be something wrong. Let's try again," Itsuki said, trying to comfort her.
Jack leaned back, resting his chin on his hand as he looked at the five of them.
"Let me be blunt. Your grades… they're probably all about the same, right?"
That one line instantly silenced the four who had been teasing Yotsuba. They wilted just like her.
Looking at the five identical, equally charming girls in front of him, Jack suddenly felt a spark of interest.
This… might actually be a rare opportunity.
Before, he had only ever dealt with one person at a time.
But now?
There were five potential contract partners sitting right in front of him.
Why not go big… and take all five?
Leaning against the armrest, he studied them thoughtfully.
He'd already figured something out. Subjects like history or geography, which relied on memorization, weren't a problem for them at all.
The real issue was subjects like math and language—things that required actual understanding.
But that could be solved. It just meant spending more time explaining things properly.
"So," Jack said, a faint smile forming on his lips as he looked at them, "how about it?"
"Do all of you want to form a contract with me?"
"As payment, I'll tutor you personally… and make sure you graduate without a problem."
"..."
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