As the last glow of dusk faded, night flooded the sky and a gentle evening breeze rose.
Lights came on all around. After a day's hustle, people began to enjoy their leisure.
Cradling the lilies, Su Tang spotted the short-haired violet girl at a glance amid the crowd.
Sensing something, the girl turned her head just then, and their eyes met.
"Teacher!"
Reze's face lit with joy. Before Su Tang could go to her, she jogged over, slightly out of breath.
"So happy?" Su Tang smiled at the flush on her cheeks and offered the lilies. "These are what I promised last time—white lilies symbolize purity, flawlessness, and eternal friendship. I hope you like them."
"Thank you, Teacher!" Reze stared at the bouquet, unwilling to look away for even a second.
Then as if remembering something, she plucked an item from behind her hair and cupped it in her other hand.
Su Tang looked—his single flower from last time, now withered and shriveled, but carefully fixed with glue.
"You kept that?" He was surprised. That angel-devil had snapped it from the roadside just to complete a task; it wasn't pretty and smelled ordinary. He'd thought she'd long forgotten it in some corner—he didn't expect it to be in her hair all this time.
"It was the first flower you gave me. Of course I'll keep it—take good care of it." Reze tucked the flower into the lilies. The one stem jutting out, framed by pure white, looked especially beautiful—like a swan's long neck, unique.
"I've been practicing floral arrangement lately. What do you think, Teacher?"
Reze lifted her face, her eyes practically spelling out, Please praise me.
"Very pretty." Su Tang was honest and did not stint with praise. "You learn quickly. I don't know floristry, but that last touch really added a lot."
"Hee-hee." Pleased, her brows curved with her smile, eyes sparkling with dreams of the future. "I'm also going to learn art and Kanzashi craft. I'll make it into a real hairpin and wear it all the time."
"Then I'll look forward to it," Su Tang said with a smile. "When you finish and wear it, I'll take a few photos for you. It'll be a memory you'll be proud of."
"Mm-mm!" Reze nodded, then—holding the bouquet in her left—she unclasped something from her slender neck with her right.
A braided-cord choker with a small metal pull ring.
Identical to the pull ring she always wore—
only one was on a cord, the other on silk ribbon.
"Teacher, you've always been giving me things, and I haven't had much to give you. So I made you a bracelet like my choker—so that when I'm not by your side, you'll think of me when you see it."
A rosy flush, like tipsy wine, spread across Reze's cheeks as she whispered, "I don't know if you'll like it."
"A bracelet?" Su Tang blinked at the little ring swaying with the wind. Though ordinary in material, it gave him a unique feeling—no doubt the girl had put care into it.
He nodded with a smile. "Sure. Come to think of it, this is my first time receiving a gift like this."
"Then I'll put it on you!"
Afraid he might refuse, Reze swiftly took his hand.
Hmm?
He was a bit surprised.
Caught off guard, he hadn't reacted in time.
Partly because he didn't expect it—but also because the girl was fast.
At least faster than an ordinary person.
As a Public Safety employee, his mind jumped to devil contracts.
Even a café clerk might have a devil contract?
Things really were that competitive.
But thinking of the high mortality rate from devils in this world, he understood.
No matter how weak the devil, a contract gives a measure of security—so you're not completely helpless in danger.
With that, he didn't point it out—pretended not to notice.
Nor did he ask which devil. Outside special organizations like Public Safety, asking that is extremely rude—hotheads might even take it as a provocation and start a fight.
While he was thinking, Reze had already tied the bracelet around his left wrist.
Reluctantly releasing his warm, feverish hand, she took a deep breath to calm her pounding heart and asked nervously, "Teacher… how is it? Do you want me to retie it?"
Huh? Already tied?
Su Tang raised his left hand. The little golden ring flashed under the lights and swayed gently in the breeze; if he put his ear close, he could hear its light rhythm.
The tightness and volume were just right—comfortable and not bothersome.
"Very nice. Thank you for the gift."
He gave his wrist a small shake and smiled.
"Ah? You really don't want me to tie it again?" She seemed to want to try once more—but was cut off by a shout.
"Mr. Su Tang!"
Squinting, Reze saw a girl with short, messy blonde hair running over, shark teeth flashing as she spoke.
"Denko? What are you doing here?"
Su Tang looked at her in surprise.
"Heh-heh, I handed one of your shirts to Power to wash. In exchange, she'll help me write today's patrol report."
Denko spoke, then seemed to think she'd gotten the worse end of the deal. But on seeing Su Tang, she grinned wide. "So I'm free tonight. I followed your scent all the way here, Mr. Su Tang."
Followed my scent here?
How did you do that?
He sniffed his clothes—freshly washed—no notable smell.
"Hold up. You said you gave one of my shirts to Power to wash?"
Setting that aside, he remembered her first line and sighed. "Are you sure Power—the one who can't even wash her own clothes—can wash mine?"
"Heh-heh. Relax! I worked hard to finally teach that lousy woman how to use the washing machine," Denko said smugly. "As long as she doesn't add anything weird, it should be fine."
Sigh.
It's the "anything weird" I'm worried about.
Su Tang shook his head, concerned whether Power could tell laundry detergent from salt.
"Teacher, and this is…?" Reze hesitated, then guessed, "Your niece?"
Niece? Do I look that old?
He touched his face—no wrinkles.
"Not my niece. She works with me at Public Safety. Because of special circumstances, she's staying with me for now—so you could call her a junior."
"Eh? So young and already hunting devils?" Reze was surprised. "She looks sixteen or so. Shouldn't she be in school?"
"Who are you calling little? Old woman," Denko said, displeased.
"Before joining Public Safety, her situation was similar to yours. Maybe even worse," Su Tang explained.
"Oh…"
Reze's voice sank a little—perhaps thinking of her past.
"Wait, wait. Did I miss something?" Denko looked between them suspiciously. "Who is she?"
"Her name is Reze. She's my student… and a friend."
At the word friend, an even brighter smile bloomed on Reze's lips.
She was about to speak when she suddenly remembered something, smacked her forehead, and said, "Right—have you had dinner, Teacher?"
"Not yet. I still owe you a meal, don't I?" He glanced at the nearby shops. "You haven't eaten either, I assume? Want to make do here?"
"Heh-heh, I already ate," Denko said, shooting a proud look at Reze.
"Perfect—I was worried three portions wouldn't be enough." Reze's green eyes curved as she reached into her clothes. "I made two bento boxes. Mr. Su Tang, would you like to try?"
"Sure." Su Tang nodded with a smile. "At home it's always me cooking for these two little rascals. This will be my first time eating someone else's cooking."
"Let's eat over there." Reze looked around and found an open-air rest area nestled in greenery with a few tables and wicker chairs.
She took out two lunch boxes, one blue and one purple. Su Tang took the blue—still warm to the touch.
"Eh—eh? Wait." Denko watched them head to the seating and felt she might have spoken too soon about eating. She hurried after them. "What about me? What am I supposed to do?"
"You?" Reze turned, tapped her lip with a forefinger as if struck by a great idea, then handed her the bouquet of lilies. "You can help by holding this."
"? Why…"
"Because the Teacher—your Mr. Su Tang—bought it specially."
"Got it! I'll hold it tight!"
Ready to refuse, Denko immediately changed her tune and clutched the bouquet to her chest.
Walking ahead, Su Tang watched the smiling Reze follow and sighed inwardly.
Denko's intelligence was completely in Reze's grasp.
It was bought specially—but no one said for whom…
"Urp—so full."
Denko burped and rubbed her belly in distress.
In the end she couldn't resist. Though she'd eaten before coming, she still wrangled a quarter from each of them.
She couldn't help it—the woman's cooking was too delicious. The smell alone made one ravenous.
She seriously suspected some secret ingredient.
But when she asked, all she got was the woman's smiling green eyes and, "I've trained as a chef."
Hmph, what's so great about that? I'll learn too!
She swore to herself, licked the last taste from her finger, and trotted to catch up.
"Where are we going?" she asked, looking around.
"A school—the largest high school in all Tokyo," Reze said, left hand in her pocket, chin lifted. "We're here."
In the night, a huge stone slab ahead bore bold characters:
Tokyo Municipal First Academy.
"Oh, this school. I saw it on patrol last time," Denko nodded—then frowned. "Wait, what are you doing at a school? Studying?"
"Congratulations—you guessed it," Su Tang said, walking to a wall and looking fondly at the footholds worn there by generations of climbers. He leapt to the top in one motion and looked down. "Can you get up? Need a hand?"
"The wall's too high. I can't," Reze said, troubled.
"Ha! Old woman, can't manage?" Denko crowed, scrambling up with hands and feet agilely. "Watch me—"
She was about to boast when she saw Reze gripping Su Tang's forearm, the muscles under his thin jacket fully framed beneath her hand.
"Okay, let's go. We'll just pick a classroom."
After pulling Reze up, Su Tang turned to see Denko frozen, her expression blank. "What, not coming?"
She snapped back to herself like waking from a dream, eyes glinting with new understanding.
Jogging after them, she eyed the shapely silhouette of Reze's back and silently promoted the woman to master-level.
Looks like I have a lot to learn.
"By the way, why choose this high school?" Su Tang admired the scenery along the academy's path. "Shouldn't there be closer ones?"
"Hee-hee—Teacher, you don't know? Rumor has it a devil haunts this high school at night—roaming the classrooms."
"A devil?" Denko asked, puzzled.
"Yep. The rumor says it's scary—the nightmare of all bad students."
Reze touched the iron ring on her neck and smiled. "Its name… is…"
"The Teacher Devil."
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