Kuoh Town!
A tall, slender figure wearing a black kimono had appeared here.
Under the moonlight, a pair of black cat ears were clearly visible, and two cat tails swayed back and forth behind her.
Every movement she made carried a breathtaking charm.
Though clearly just a young girl, she exuded an extremely alluring aura.
She was none other than Kuroka, Koneko's older sister.
"My dear little sister, I wonder how you're doing now."
Kuroka looked towards Kuoh Town, a smile playing on her lips.
"Also, this place seems to be that King's territory. I need to be careful."
Meanwhile!
On the outskirts!
There were no signs of life anywhere.
Hozuki Yayoi had completed the final step of the barrier here.
"This should be fine, right?"
She glanced around, then took out a Devil Flyer, her eyes flickering slightly.
"Are these preparations enough to handle that Devil?"
She murmured softly, her small fists clenched tightly.
Yes!
She planned to take on a Devil.
Although she was self-taught and didn't know much about Devils...
Based on legends, making a wish with them might not be any better than dealing with Cursed Spirits.
So!
She wanted to control him first, so she could negotiate terms.
Although it was very risky...
To free her parents' souls as soon as possible, she was willing to take the chance.
Whoosh.
Taking a deep breath, Yayoi spoke, "Mr. Devil, please answer my call and grant my wish."
The moment her voice fell.
The flyer began to glow brightly.
"Here he comes?"
Yayoi stepped back a few paces and placed both hands on the ground.
Hum!
The pre-arranged barrier transformed into an invisible force, enveloping the area and pressing down towards the magic circle.
"Good grief. What a unique welcome party."
Bang!
Before Yayoi's wide eyes, the entire barrier shattered instantly.
Th-this...
Yayoi's heartbeat instantly quickened, her pupils contracting sharply.
How... was this possible?
She realized she might have miscalculated the terror of this Mr. Devil.
"In that case..."
Seeing Ayato step out, she raised one hand and took out a stuffed doll.
"I leave everything to you."
As she spoke, she released its restraints.
This was her "Graduate" creation.
A Cursed Spirit nurtured through the method of raising Gu, her strongest and her true trump card.
Instantly.
An extremely ominous aura began to emanate from the doll.
"Good grief. Little things like this... don't send them out to die."
Seeing this, Ayato chuckled. "Even those Cursed Spirits called gods are nothing more than slightly stronger ants before me."
"Th-this..."
Looking at the doll trembling in her hand, its aura receding like the tide, Yayoi's grip tightened.
Her Graduate refused to manifest.
It... was afraid?
This had never happened before.
Her heart slowly sank.
She was going to be killed, wasn't she?
Damn it!
How infuriating.
She still hadn't freed her parents' souls.
But!
After waiting a moment, she noticed Ayato wasn't attacking.
"???"
She blinked in confusion.
Could it be... that negotiations were still possible?
Recalling their first encounter...
This Mr. Devil seemed quite reasonable, actually.
But!
Could a being like a Devil truly be so?
As she was lost in thought, Ayato spoke.
"I don't know what you contractors are thinking, but lately, everyone wants to attack me."
"But considering you're a future beautiful girl and still a child, I'll let you off this time."
Yayoi: "..."
What kind of nonsense was this Devil talking about?
"Well, you..."
Organizing her words, Yayoi said, "If you're not going to blame me, Mr. Devil, then can I leave now?"
As she spoke, Yayoi was already preparing to run at any moment.
She swore she would stick to dealing with Cursed Spirits from now on.
She would never interact with mysterious beings like Devils again.
Ayato glanced at her and said with a faint smile, "Want to leave just like that? How can that be?"
"After all, you performed a Devil Summoning."
"But I didn't make a wish."
Yayoi looked innocent.
"Whether you make a wish or not, the summoning itself requires a price."
Ayato gave her an amused look.
"Ah? How can that be?"
Yayoi said pitifully, "Can't you let it slide this time because I'm just a child who doesn't know any better?"
"Don't give me that."
Ayato shook his head. "A 160 cm tall child... most people aren't as smart as you."
"Not to mention, someone so young who dares to deal with Cursed Spirits... you can't be underestimated."
Hearing this, Yayoi wanted to speak but held back, her mind in turmoil.
He knew a lot about her.
Had he already investigated her?
She had been targeted from the start.
What should she do now?
Think, brain, think of something!
Seeing this, Ayato slightly shook his head.
This child was full of sly tricks.
If it weren't for him...
Other Devils summoned to the human world might very well have been captured by her.
Not giving her any more time to overthink, Ayato spoke:
"Don't waste time. Have you made your choice?"
Hearing this, without any hesitation, Yayoi smoothly performed a dogeza and said:
"Mr. Devil, my behavior earlier was indeed wrong. I apologize to you here."
"So, no matter what, please grant my wish."
Right now, she was meat on the chopping block.
Rather than dying for no reason...
It was better to try to get her wish granted.
At least then, it wouldn't be a complete loss, right?
"Fine. State your wish."
Hearing this, Yayoi took a breath and spoke, "I want Mr. Devil to deal with a terrifying Cursed Spirit."
"And also free my parents' souls."