"???"
Shizuka stood frozen in place.
'Devil?'
'You're bringing that up again?'
In an instant, Shizuka was completely furious. She stormed towards Ayato.
Delusions or a prank, whatever!
Trampling on her pure, marriage-seeking heart was unforgivable.
She had to teach him a lesson.
Considering he was a student, she would just use a joint lock.
It would hurt but not injure.
She was a professional at this.
"You want to attack me? That's not a wise choice."
"Hmph, disobedient students need to be disciplined..."
Shizuka cracked her knuckles, but her movement stopped short.
Because Ayato's aura had subtly changed.
She instinctively stopped.
She only felt the surrounding air become incredibly heavy.
Even breathing became a luxury.
An indescribable feeling of terror filled her body.
'Something is wrong!'
'This man is very, very wrong.'
"King, you're about to scare Hiratsuka-sensei to death."
Seeing Shizuka's stiff body, Yukino quickly spoke.
Phew!
Shizuka's body relaxed. She nearly fell to the ground.
She looked at Ayato, her gaze completely changed.
'This man is definitely not ordinary.'
For the first time in her life, she felt this way.
Even Masters she considered experts who taught her combat skills had never put this much pressure on her.
So she knew Ayato is definitely not an ordinary person.
Ayato smiled, a playful look in his eyes. "So, not going to fight anymore?"
"Sorry. I was rude just now."
Shizuka's mouth twitched, but she still muttered, "You started it with that joke."
"It's not a joke."
Ayato shrugged and said seriously, "I can indeed grant your wish."
"Really?"
Shizuka's eyes lit up immediately. "How do you plan to do it?"
She was so tired of being single.
Although she had never had a boyfriend, not even a male friend.
"Very simple."
Shizuka nodded, her eyes even more expectant.
"Just become mine."
Ayato looked at Shizuka calmly. "Problem perfectly solved."
"Hmm?"
Shizuka blinked. "W-with you?"
'No, no, no, absolutely not.'
'How could that work?'
'He is Yukino's boyfriend.'
'As a teacher, how could I be so shameless?'
"Yes, what's the problem?"
Ayato said, "Don't be bound by human concepts. For us Devils, this is just a small matter."
Shizuka sighed helplessly. "Boy, can we drop the Devil thing?"
Ayato didn't speak again. He just shook his head and smiled.
Whoosh!
A pair of black wings burst from his body.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
For a moment, the entire activity room was filled with turbulent air currents.
Seeing this, Shizuka's pupils contracted. She stood frozen on the spot.
'It's real?'
'He really is a Devil.'
In an instant,
Her questions were answered.
'No wonder he put so much pressure on me. So Devils really existed.'
Ayato retracted his wings, took a sip of black tea at his leisure, and smiled. "Hiratsuka-sensei, do you believe me now?"
Shizuka: "..."
Good news: it seemed she really could get married.
Bad news: the groom is a Devil.
She asked cautiously, "Um, if I leave now, is it still possible?"
"Now that you know I'm a Devil, what do you think?"
"Heh... heh."
The corner of Shizuka's mouth twitched.
'If I refused, would I be silenced?'
'Yukinoshita Haruno, you've really gotten me into trouble this time.'
Sighing, Shizuka said helplessly, "So what do you plan to do now?"
Watching this, Momo and Yukino exchanged glances.
They never expected the next servant to be their teacher.
Yukino's gaze was complicated.
"What's there to be surprised about? Just get used to it."
Momo's expression was also complex.
Her grandmother was also a servant.
Compared to that...
This thing with Shizuka was nothing.
"Simple. I just need to put this inside your body."
Ayato took out an Evil Piece and explained, "Then you will become my servant, serving me for life."
Looking at the Evil Piece, Shizuka's eyelids twitched.
She asked instinctively, "Um, is it okay if we don't do this?"
"Of course not."
Ayato said, "You're not losing anything. This is the Reincarnation Ceremony to become a Devil."
"You will gain immortality, eternal youth, and transcendent power."
Shizuka was stunned.
'So becoming a servant meant becoming a Devil?'
'From then on, I would no longer be human?'
She thought it over silently.
'But eternal youth... didn't sound bad.'
And in this situation, it wasn't really up to her.
After careful consideration, Shizuka found that becoming a Devil seemed like a gain.
After all,
If she continued this way, she would really never get married.
If that were the case, she would rather become a Devil.
Not to mention all the other benefits.
Most importantly,
Judging by Yukino and Momo's condition, they didn't seem unhappy.
For a moment,
Shizuka's gaze became determined.
"Very good, it seems you've made up your mind."
"Mm."
Shizuka hesitated, then asked, "What if I refused?"
"Nothing much."
Ayato smiled. "I would let you leave, and wait until you changed your mind."
"Then, what if I never agree?"
"Then there's nothing I can do. You'll just stay pure for life."
"After all, I have... how should I put it... a cleanliness obsession regarding people I set my sights on."
Shizuka: "..."
'Wow!'
'Wasn't that a bit too cruel?'
But,
It also proved that Ayato might be a decent guy.
At least, he wasn't the kind of scum who would coerce women.
'Serving a guy like this in the future...'
'Wouldn't be so bad.'