Right now, trapped in this slippery pit, I was cornered with no escape—a death sentence.

"Tell me," the Great Demon King standing before me demanded, her voice flat yet echoing like a demon’s whisper from the underworld. Black flames writhed around her, thick with suffocating pressure. I lay frozen on the ground, barely daring to breathe.

No one truly knew how terrifying she was—until now. Her face was expressionless, but I could feel it: the Great Demon King was at her most furious.

All signs pointed to one thing—stealing Flower Heavenly King’s dress had ignited her wrath. Especially when the blood-red affection meter above her head plummeted relentlessly, finally settling at a pure, lightless black: -300. That’s when I realized exactly who I’d angered.

“…Well…” I swallowed hard, forcing a strained smile. “It really wasn’t on purpose…”

“Not on purpose?” Her calm rebuttal cut through the air. She stared at me like I was scum, then took a step forward.

“Wait! Wait a minute!!” I scrambled backward, pressing against the slick rock wall. “There must be a misunderstanding! We can talk this out calmly!”

Smiling tightly, I edged into the corner and pushed myself up. My clothes were torn and soaked from the damp pebbles below. Though it was midsummer heat above, a chilling dampness seeped into my bones here.

“I admit I’m a bit of a scumbag—a total jerk—but I was just trying to survive! At the very least… leave my body intact!!”

I had no idea if this Demon Lord, whose affection for me had crashed to -300, would listen. But for my life, I had to try.

“Look up!” I pointed desperately at the pit’s opening. “Even if you kill me, you’ll be stuck here too! These walls are too slick and steep to climb alone. And when rescuers find my body… that outcome can’t be what you want, right?”

As I spoke, confidence slowly returned. Of course—as the righteous protagonist, talking my way out of death against a terrifying Great Demon King was the only move. Anything less would be lame.

The Demon Lord girl before me finally eased out of her darkened state. But her affection meter remained stubbornly fixed at -300.

“Your logic holds,” she said coldly. “But I will never forgive you.”

“Yeah, yeah! Forgiveness isn’t the point right now. We need to work together to get out. If our families notice we’re missing, they might not find us until nightfall.”

Relief washed over me as she seemed to drop her intent to punish me. “Do you really want to wait here until dark? What if they think we’re just sleeping over at a friend’s house? Rescue could take days.”

“…”

She fell silent, then pinned me with a blade-sharp gaze, calculating our escape.

“How do you propose we get out?”

“One of us boosts the other up! The one on top climbs out first!” The words tumbled out before I could stop them. Regret hit instantly.

In my weak position, volunteering this plan meant I’d be the stepping stone. If she went first… with her hatred for me, she’d probably leave me here to rot.

—No way! Absolutely not! Letting her go first would be suicide!!

“You.” Her voice was ice. She pointed to the spot nearest the pit’s edge. “Stand there. Crouch down.”

“…Uh… sure thing!” I wasn’t stupid enough to refuse. Nodding frantically, I shuffled to the spot and lowered myself.

“When I step on your shoulders, stand up and lift me. Understand?”

“Got it, got it.”

I braced myself as a sandaled foot pressed onto my shoulder. The sudden weight and gritty sole made me shudder. Then the other foot landed. Her full weight crushed down.

“Stand.”

I glanced up at denim shorts and smooth thighs, sighing inwardly.

—If only she were wearing a skirt…

Gritting my teeth, I tried to rise. My trembling legs and aching joints screamed in protest. Halfway up—knees bent at forty-five degrees—I lost control and toppled backward.

The Demon Lord girl tumbled with me—but at the last second, she pushed off my shoulders and landed lightly on the pebbles behind me.

—Seriously?! That’s cheating!!

I crashed onto my backside with a yelp.

“Owwww!!” I rubbed my sore tailbone, whining like the kid I was. “I’m only nine! You’re a middle schooler! How could I possibly hold you up?!”

“You’re really nine?” Her tone was flat.

“Absolutely nine! Look at my height—it proves it!” Tears welled in my eyes as I played the victim, tossing my dignity aside for survival.

“Nine? You act like a sleazy middle-aged man.”

“Delusion! Total delusion!” I yelped, sweat beading on my forehead. “Look at my pure, innocent eyes! Do I seem like that kind of guy?!”

“…”

Her gaze locked onto mine, then twisted into clear disgust.

“I’m sorely tempted to beat you to death. You’re that irritating.”

Toka flicked her foot, hooking a fist-sized pebble into the air and catching it effortlessly.

“How about I help you become a girl? End the war between boys and girls. Maybe then you wouldn’t be so detestable.”

She tossed the smooth stone casually. My blood ran cold.

“WAIT WAIT WAIT WAIT WAIT!!!”

Pure terror seized me. If she crushed my little soldier (if you know what I mean), my whole life—and all that hard work romancing girls—would be ruined! This rural mountain area had no proper hospitals. There’d be no saving it.

“Let’s talk peacefully! No violence! I’m a pacifist at heart!” I pleaded, eyes wide, swallowing hard. “As a true pacifist, I hate war most of all. If you, as the girls’ leader, agree—I’ll force the boys to stand down immediately.”

“Really? You can end this war?” Her voice was dangerously low.

“Absolutely! The girls started it, right? If you control them, I’ll control the boys!” I seized the hopeful turn.

Promising this at -300 affection… she must be a big-picture thinker.

Yeah. Only a Great Demon King this powerful could stay this rational. No ordinary kid could match her composure.