In a deserted corner of the school, beside the leaf-burning stove, Yumo ruffled his hair into a bird’s nest.
“Why can they see you!?”
“Did I ever say others couldn’t?”
“But before, only I could see you! You don’t even show up in mirrors—I’ve doubted you were just my imagination!”
“Whether I exist as a spiritual entity or a soul, in the physical world or your mind, whether optical devices can capture me, how strong my presence is… it all depends on my mood.”
“Demons really are convenient creatures…”
“Here, eat breakfast. Or you’ll grow gallbladder polyps.”
“Yeah, yeah… I can eat my own sausage. Don’t feed me. And stop messing with me, okay? This is my high school. High school! The rumors about me must be wilder than ever now.”
“But what if I told you you just fulfilled another wish?”
“Huh?”
She produced the wish list like a magician, pointing to a newly crossed-out item: *Show off your girlfriend in front of the whole class*.
“…You’re my girlfriend like hell,” Yumo nearly snapped.
“The key to this wish is the audience. Whether I’m your girlfriend depends on your classmates’ perception. If they subjectively accept it, it counts as fulfilled.”
“What kind of wordplay is this…”
“The essence of dealing with demons lies in wordplay.”
“Boring. Promise me—no more materializing when others are around, okay?”
“So you don’t consider me an outsider anymore?”
“You’re so annoying…”
Still, Yumo felt a trace of relief.
This demon might not grant him power, but she did help him in practical ways. Maybe she wasn’t beyond saving after all—
“Actually, I came today just to embarrass you. I only realized you’d fulfilled another wish when you dragged me out.”
“Give my relief back!”
“Also, starting now, if you don’t simultaneously date one gentle, cute woman and one handsome, rebellious woman, stage at least one damsel-saving act, and punish at least one evil force within the deadline… your father, mother, and sister will die.”
Heart.
Stopped.
“Say that again…?”
“You heard clearly, so I won’t repeat it. As for the deadline…”
Yusuozaai struck a thoughtful pose. Her gray right eye rolled once. Something seemed to squirm in her empty left socket.
“…Since you fulfilled four wishes at once this time, I’ll be generous. How about two months? Oh, and when you were drunk, you fantasized about many heroic rescues and justice scenes. I categorized every single one meticulously.”
“Two months…?”
Two months. Not short, not long. For Yumo, who’d never dated anyone… let alone save damsels or punish villains? Would it be enough?
“These four are long-term tasks for the next two months. I might randomly grant you small wishes in between. So… a demon’s advice: don’t. waste. time.”
“Wait, can you give me hints—”
“The timer starts now. But I suggest handling what’s right in front of you first. You have a disciplinary hearing with the school at ten. Get ready.”
“Compared to this, expulsion is small potatoes… Wait.”
Wait?
Girlfriend… girlfriend?
Come to think of it—this demon was female, right?
Since she dragged him into this mess, it was only fair she took responsibility and played along, wasn’t it?
“Hey, Yusuozaai, listen—”
“Don’t even think about it. Unless both of us subjectively accept ‘I’m your girlfriend’ as fact—I won’t debate my side, but can *you*?”
“No. (Instant reply.)”
“…You’re awfully decisive.”
“But you’re right. I should deal with what’s in front of me first… Let me be the villain just this once.”
——————————
——————————
Lin Qinglan heard the rumors the moment she entered the office that morning: Zhang Yuanzhou, the notorious delinquent from Class 3, Grade 11, had been beaten bloody by Yumo—the usually invisible class monitor.
The rumors spiraled wildly. Yumo used weird “methods.” Yumo could ignite flames like Kyo Kusanagi. Yumo buffed himself with poison… utter nonsense.
She dismissed it at first. Students using lab chemicals as weapons? Ridiculous.
But when she arrived at the chemistry lab for routine inventory, a chill crept down her spine.
“Items are missing… a pair of heat-resistant gloves, a small bottle of alcohol, and… butyric acid?”
Linhai No. 1 High’s chemistry Olympiad team was strong. The lab was well-funded, stocked with diverse reagents and equipment.
The heat-resistant gloves, recently purchased, could withstand over 600°C.
The alcohol—80% concentration—was flammable enough.
Butyric acid… low toxicity, but foul-smelling. One whiff of high concentration could nauseate you for hours and irritate your airways.
Lin Qinglan never took reagents out of the lab. No one should’ve entered during New Year’s break—she kept the keys. No one could—wait.
Yumo. He was the chemistry representative.
Recently overwhelmed by family-pressured blind dates, she’d dumped much of the lab organization on him. He was the only one besides her who handled the keys frequently—
“Ms. Lin, I knew I’d find you here.”
“!?”
The lab door had opened silently.
Yumo slipped in like a ghost.
“…Student Yumo?”
“Good morning, Ms. Lin. How was your New Year’s?”
“Fine. But you…”
“What about me?”
Yumo advanced slowly as he spoke.
Pale light from the overhead lamps split across his face, shadowed by his bangs. His eyes glinted faintly behind his glasses, radiating an inexplicable… pressure.
*(No. I’m the teacher. He’s the student. Why am I shaken?)*
“Ahem. Yumo, let’s be direct. Some items are missing from the lab. Do you know anything?”
“The heat-resistant gloves, alcohol, and butyric acid?”
“Uh…”
“Yes. I borrowed them.”
Yumo adjusted his glasses and stepped closer.
“You really took them!?”
“I won’t lie to you. I accepted Zhang Yuanzhou’s challenge that day. Obviously, I couldn’t beat him fairly, so I decided to… use some aids.”
“…Just for that?”
“Yes.”
“So the rumors are true!?”
“Yes. But everything had a reason. And this… Ms. Lin, you share the blame too, don’t you?”
“I share the blame?”
Lin Qinglan froze, a trace of anger flashing across her face.
“The blame? You chose to brawl with Zhang Yuanzhou like a thug! Can’t you tell right from wrong at your age? You even abused your authority! You’re the class monitor! This is entirely your fault!”
“…Entirely my fault?”
Yumo’s voice dropped, icy enough to extinguish her anger.
“My fault? What about you?”
“M-me?”
“As a teacher, you rushed home and dumped the lab cleanup on me—a student. Check the school rules. Or read the safety guidelines posted at the door. Whose duty is that supposed to be? This lab is full of dangerous chemicals. If something happened, do you think you’d escape responsibility?”
“I—I had an emergency! Are you threatening your teacher!?”
Lin Qinglan couldn’t believe this meek student would pull this. His words were razor-sharp! If the theft of lab supplies was proven, she’d be punished too!
“I *am* threatening you. Do you understand your situation, dear Ms. Lin? Teacher negligence. Major safety violation. Pay cut. Suspension. Losing this hard-won, high-paying permanent position… Think carefully about your future.”
“This… this… *sob*…”
Yumo closed in again, pinning her shoulders against the lab table. His leg blocked hers, trapping her. Her ample chest shifted with gravity. Her knee-length skirt rode up from the struggle—like some villainous drama scene…
“O-okay! Fine! We’re… we’re in this together! Just—just back off!”
“‘In this together’? Such a pretty phrase. We’re accomplices.”
“*Sob*… ‘Accomplices’?”
“Now you understand? We each hold the other’s leverage. If I fall, I can start over. But if you crash… your future is ruined. Got it?”
“G-got it…”
“Since you get it, show me your sincerity.”
“…………Huh?”
“Sincerity! After all this, you know what to do, right?”
“…………………………”
An unbearable silence stretched for nearly thirty seconds.
Lin Qinglan was near tears, biting her lip, avoiding Yumo’s piercing gaze. After a visible internal struggle—
“…………I—I understand.”
“Good.”
“I… I was always busy with studies back then… so… no experience… if this satisfies you…”
“Huh… huh?”
Her face suddenly drew close.
A sweet fragrance washed over him.
Two soft, plump, sweet things clumsily pressed against his lips.
A sensation to make any man dizzy—
“—STOP! WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?”
Yumo shoved her away, startled.
“Huh!? Is—is this not enough? But I’ll never do anything more extreme! Do you want me to use my hands—or another part—to help you—”
“Like hell! Do you think I’m an animal!?”
“Aren’t you!?”
“Of course not! I just need you to testify! Testify! That the missing alcohol, butyric acid, and gloves never happened! Muddy the waters. Handle it as a simple student fight. Understand!?”
“Oh… oh! Th-that’s it? I—I misunderstood…”
“How can a teacher have such filthy thoughts!?”
“You threatened me!”
“I wasn’t after your body! I have zero interest!”
“Sh-shut up!”
“Since when do teachers force kisses!? And it was my first kiss!”
“I—I was too—stop talking! Let’s forget this happened! You remember nothing, I remember nothing!”
Flustered, Lin Qinglan waved her hands wildly. *Oh god. I can’t face anyone. I actually… with a student… my first kiss… my elegant, professional image… AHHHHHHHH!!!*
…
…
…
…
After several deep breaths, she calmed slightly.
An accident.
Just an accident.
She had to believe that.
May this chaotic day end quickly. May she forget everything.
“But now I have another piece of leverage.”
Yumo, equally composed, turned even more aggressive.
“This counts as reverse sexual harassment, doesn’t it? A teacher assaulting a student. If this leaks out…”
“Enough. Stop. I know. I’ll do what you say…”
“Good. Just cooperate properly later.”
“But… even if I give false testimony, they won’t listen to me—”
“You’re an award-winning teacher leading the chemistry Olympiad team. They’ll listen.”
“And the cameras? If they check the footage—”
“Most cameras here are dummies. They’re turned off to save power.”
“But—but—”
“I’m dealing with life-or-death stakes. No more stammering. Just agree.”
Linqinglan didn't understand what he meant by "a matter of life and death," but she knew better than to ask too many questions. She had no choice but to agree.
"Not bad. You just fulfilled a wish back there."
"Shut up..."
"'The first kiss must be with a great beauty,' and Teacher Lin perfectly fits that description."
"I didn't want to fulfill my wish like this..."
