Chapter 28

Slightly altering his original plan, Shoyo walked directly toward her.

“Excuse me... are you Amano Yuuma-san?” he asked politely.

“Hm? Eh? How do you know my name?” Amano Yuuma covered her cherry-red lips slightly, feigning surprise. In truth, she had clearly anticipated Shoyo's arrival.

“I’m Hyoudou Issei’s friend. He had something come up today, so I’m here in his place,” Shoyo said with a friendly smile.

“Eh? Issei-kun has something to do?” Amano Yuuma blinked, tilting her head slightly as she and Shoyo began their little performance. The difference was that Shoyo’s acting was flawless, while he, in turn, could read exactly which of her words were genuine and which were not.

“Yeah, he forgot he had made plans with another friend, so he asked me to accompany you today.”

“Eh?! Then... may I ask, you are...?” Amano Yuuma widened her eyes as if genuinely curious.

“My name is Shoyo. Like I said, I’m Issei-kun’s friend.” As he answered, Shoyo caught a fleeting trace of killing intent flash through Amano Yuuma’s eyes. It seemed she was annoyed about being stood up. But more than that, there was a flicker of interest. And if he wasn’t mistaken, that interest was aimed at him.

“Issei-kun has other plans, huh?” Yuuma playfully twirled her finger in the air. “Then... could I trouble Shoyo Senpai to go on a walk with me? I was planning to pick out a gift for Issei-kun’s upcoming birthday.”

“It’d be ideal for him to choose it himself, but... leaving it as a surprise might be nice too, right?”

“Hey... Shoyo Senpai? Are you free today?” she asked again with a smile, naturally guiding the conversation toward spending time together. In truth, Amano Yuuma had already marked Shoyo as a target for investigation. But since she and her group hadn’t detected yesterday’s supernatural disturbance, they didn’t yet know Shoyo had awakened the “hero’s bloodline.”

“Me? I’m free. It’s an honor to accompany a cute girl like Amano-san for a stroll,” Shoyo replied with a soft smile. He had been thinking about how to properly deal with her, but he hadn’t expected her to approach him so directly. Subjugation, huh...? What exactly did it entail, spiritual, physical, or both? Shoyo wasn’t entirely sure how the system defined it since he’d come across many variations of the term.

“Okay! Let’s go find a birthday gift for Issei-kun!” Yuuma beamed and took Shoyo’s arm, looking every bit the innocent and naive schoolgirl. Shoyo clearly felt the softness of her touch. Hm... definitely not on Rias’s level, but likely better than Sona’s.

He wasn’t fooled by her appearance. Her current behavior? A textbook example of a green tea b*tch. On the surface, she was Issei’s girlfriend, or at least someone close to it, yet she could so casually latch onto another guy’s arm without a second thought.

If he hadn’t been skilled in psychology and micro-expression analysis, and already aware of her true nature, he might’ve been fooled at first.

Now that both had confirmed a desire to keep interacting, their walk naturally turned into what could be called a date. At least on the surface, they looked like a typical young couple. Shoyo smiled brightly. He could tease Amano Yuuma all he wanted, while she, constrained by her innocent persona, couldn’t retaliate.

Right now, she still believed Shoyo to be a normal human and didn’t want to reveal anything supernatural. Maybe it was Shoyo’s looks, but Yuuma didn’t feel the same instinct to eliminate him as she had with Hyoudou Issei. Or maybe... she had a certain kink? Shoyo noticed a strange sense of enjoyment bubbling up from her every time she was teased.

Could it be... she’s the opposite of Himejima Akeno? A curious glint flickered in Shoyo’s eyes.

“Hey hey, Shoyo-san, what do you think of this one?” Yuuma held up a dress with the vibrance and charm of a girl her age.

“Ah, this one? If the pink were changed to black, it would suit you even better,” Shoyo said, stroking his chin meaningfully. Hm... the real you isn’t sweet pink, you’re the darkness and mystery of black.

“This one, huh? Then let’s go with it.” Yuuma also felt that black suited her more. She had asked about the pink one purely to maintain her act.

Picking up the black dress, Shoyo walked straight to the counter and paid. Consider it a farewell gift to Amano Yuuma. He hadn’t made much money in the human world, earning yen was just a method of acquiring knowledge. Still, he had a few hundred billion yen lying around. But supernatural knowledge couldn’t be bought with cash. If a human without spiritual power obtained it, they’d be courting death.

Amid their playful banter, the two arrived in front of a lingerie store.

“Hm...? Speaking of which, Ophis doesn’t seem to wear lingerie, does she?” Shoyo mused. Ophis always seemed to go without... pants?

“Shoyo-san...? Do you want to go in?” Yuuma asked. Her cheeks flushed, legs fidgeting together nervously, perfectly portraying a shy schoolgirl. If she were human, she’d be worthy of an Oscar.

Shoyo had just been thinking of Ophis, but Yuuma thought he wanted to help her pick lingerie. At this point, their interaction had clearly moved beyond the realm of “just accompanying a friend’s girlfriend.” Not that anyone really cared.

“Sure,” Shoyo smiled. Amano Yuuma seemed to be getting addicted to this game. He never would’ve guessed she’d be the first to invite him into a store like this. He’d thought it’d be Rias or Sona... or maybe he’d take Ophis himself someday.

As they walked in, Shoyo felt gazes from all around, some disapproving, some curious. But with a beauty like Yuuma by his side and his own good looks, most onlookers smiled knowingly. Some even cast envious glances toward Yuuma.

“Shoyo-san? Which one do you think is better?” A spark of interest gleamed in Yuuma’s eyes.

“Hm... these then.” If he had to choose, he’d choose based on his own preferences. Her size? Shoyo could tell with just a glance.

“Then please wait a moment, Shoyo-san.” With a subtly provocative expression, Yuuma entered the changing room.

A few minutes passed... then:

“Shoyo-san? Could you help me? I... can’t seem to put this on.”

Shoyo’s lips twitched.

You’re a fallen angel, and you can’t dress yourself? You’re really enjoying this too much...

Without hesitation, Shoyo stepped inside.

He wasn’t about to say no to some unexpected benefits. And given his extensive knowledge, he could tell Amano Yuuma was indeed a young girl, physically and spiritually, not some disguised adult. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have agreed to such games.


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