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After a brief silence, the Nakano sisters instinctively huddled together.
Even though Ichika Nakano was clearly frightened, she still stepped in front of her younger sisters, shielding them as she stared at Jack with wary, trembling eyes.
Yeah… that's the normal reaction, Jack thought.
Unlike Mai Sakurajima—she'd been way too calm when she first saw him.
Of course, he conveniently forgot that when he first encountered something supernatural, his reaction had been even more over-the-top…
"Who are you? How did you get in here?"
Although Ichika had heard his introduction, she clearly didn't quite believe it. Her voice was tight with nerves as she demanded an explanation.
Jack took two steps back, lifting his hands casually to show he meant no harm.
"I already said, lovely ladies—my name is Jack. I'm a demon, summoned here to fulfill your wishes."
With a light wave of his hand, a flyer materialized out of thin air, woven from magic itself.
"You should recognize this, right?"
His tone was calm. After speaking, he simply folded his arms and stood there, quietly observing them.
To be fair, Jack carried himself well. Dressed in sleek black, his fitted leather jacket gave him a cool, composed, almost aloof charm. Standing there, he didn't feel out of place at all—if anything, he looked like an ordinary human.
And yet… they couldn't just ignore what he was saying.
Their eyes fixed on the newly appeared flyer. As proof, it was more than convincing.
"So what exactly is going on? Why did you come to our house?" Ichika pressed, still acting as the protective older sister. The five girls kept their distance, clearly on edge.
"It's simple. Supernatural forces. That flyer is part of our summoning system. Humans make wishes, summon demons like us, and we come to carry out the request."
"Huh? If you're making a wish, shouldn't it be to a god?" Nino Nakano piped up, forcing herself to speak. "At the very least, shouldn't an angel show up? What do demons have to do with it?"
At the mention of gods and angels, Jack raised an eyebrow, but didn't seem bothered.
"Then tell me—when you pray to a god, has an angel ever come down to grant your wish?"
The girls fell silent.
Obviously not.
If angels really showed up, they wouldn't be this clueless about all of this.
"Exactly," Jack continued calmly. "The ones who actually show up to grant wishes are demons. Gods and angels usually just sit back and collect your faith for free."
The sisters exchanged uncertain glances.
Then suddenly, Yotsuba Nakano lit up with excitement.
"Wow… is this for real? Mr. Demon, did I really summon you? Are you actually the kind of demon from legends?"
Energetic as ever, Yotsuba's fear seemed to melt away now that Jack appeared harmless.
Jack gave her a practiced, professional smile.
"That's right. A genuine demon, through and through."
As he spoke, a pair of dark wings unfurled behind him.
"Waaah!!" Yotsuba's eyes sparkled as she stared at them, like she'd just discovered a whole new world.
Seeing that they'd finally calmed down a little, Jack smiled and asked, "May I sit?"
"Ah—please, go ahead," Ichika said quickly.
Jack walked over and took a seat on the sofa across from them.
Looking at the five girls still clustered together, he couldn't help but chuckle.
"You can relax. I've already proven I mean no harm. Why don't you sit properly? You are the hosts here."
"Ah… sorry about that," Ichika said with an awkward smile.
They finally sat down again, though their eyes remained fixed on him, full of lingering tension.
"Mr… Jack, was it?" Itsuki Nakano spoke up hesitantly.
"That's right."
"I'm Itsuki Nakano…"
She swallowed nervously before continuing.
"You have supernatural powers, like in the movies, right? Then why have we never heard of anything like this before?"
"That's because if humans choose not to accept a contract, we erase any related memories from their minds. You forget everything, and we go our separate ways."
Jack explained patiently. It was obvious these girls were encountering a demon for the first time.
Unlike clients like Koneko Toujou and Akeno Himejima, who were practically regulars—working with them was much easier.
After hearing his explanation, the girls all sat there with slightly parted lips.
"Memory manipulation? Seriously?" Even Miku Nakano couldn't help but ask, despite her earlier fear.
"Of course. For both angels and demons, that kind of thing is trivial."
Yotsuba's eyes sparkled again.
"That's amazing… so you can really grant my wish?"
"Miss Yotsuba Nakano," Jack said with a faint smile, "your wish was to pass your exams together with your sisters, correct?"
Being called out like that, Yotsuba froze for a moment, then flushed with embarrassment.
"Ahh… why'd you say it out loud? Doesn't that make it not come true anymore…?"
Jack blinked, amused. She's honestly kind of adorable.
He tapped his temple.
"I can adjust your memory so that everything you study gets permanently engraved in your mind. You won't be able to forget it even if you try. If you want, getting perfect scores wouldn't be a problem."
"Seriously?!" Yotsuba gasped. "That's incredible!!"
"Of course. As long as you sign a contract with me. Once I fulfill your wish, I'll receive my compensation through that contract. That's why I'm here."
"Wait…" Ichika cut in immediately. "What kind of compensation are we talking about?"
Jack smiled faintly.
"Have you heard those stories? A human sacrifices emotions—like anger, greed, or sorrow—to a demon in exchange for power, then uses that power to save someone they love."
"Huh? So you're that kind of demon too?" Ichika and the others stiffened, their expressions instantly turning wary. "Wouldn't that price be way too high?"
"I'm not finished yet," Jack said evenly.
"It's true we collect that kind of energy. But we don't take it all at once. Instead, we gather it gradually through the contract. It's not the kind of 'kill the chicken to get the eggs' situation you're imagining."
He tilted his head slightly.
"Ah, that was just a figure of speech. I didn't mean anything by it. Don't misunderstand."
The room fell silent.
…That last sentence really didn't need to be added.
If you don't know how to talk… maybe don't talk at all.
"..."
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