Chapter 1: Standing Between Gods and Devils.

"It's hard!" My sister was already complaining pretty early in the morning. Of course, as the corporate slaves they were, our parents were nowhere to be seen. Even if it was Sunday. So we have been keeping each other company until now.

"Stop whining" I spoke up finally. "I'll help you out with a part of it later. Okay?"

This little sister of mine had delayed all the workload that wasn't immediate during the whole week. Of course, today is Sunday and she has to finish it all, or at least what she needs to present tomorrow. As per normal, I had nothing to do after classes and club, so I finished all already. It's a good feeling to be able to play vita when not having any leftover assignments.

"Okay, but I'm not holding my breath for anything spectacular," Komachi said as she turned to her notes. Brat.

There was no point to homework or assignments in the first place if you didn't do them yourself, but I wasn't helping Komachi out like this just because she was cute. If that was the only reason, I'd have no choice but to help her out with the rest of it as well.

She sighed. "There are tons of homework, and also the tests come right after this… I won't have time for the mock exams right after vacation!"

"That's because you normally let things pile up."

"Yeah, haven't I been doing a good job piling them up?"

"So piling up unread books is like a stacking game now, huh…"

If this was Tetris, she would already have gotten the Game Over screen by now.

That was Komachi for you, and yet here she was, planning to get into a high-end high school when she couldn't even finish her own homework at time.

"Are you serious about wanting to take the exam for my high school? Just asking."

This should really go without saying, but my sister is a moron, one magnificent and spectacular moron. She was the cutest sister in the world, but her grades were beyond pathetic. In that regard, I think we mirror each other really well.

"I'm serious, I swear. I wouldn't ask for your help if I wasn't, Onii-chan," Komachi answered with total straight face. What an angel she is. Totally the best sister in the world. "People will know that we are siblings, and they will think better of me when comparing us. My reputation will rise up immediately!" I take back what I said. This one is a demon. I will just concentrate in my games.

"Ah, onii-chan" I perked up again upon hearing my little sister speak "Since I'm totes doing my homework now, please go and buy the groceries for me"

Oi, are you serious? I already agreed to help you out with it. You should have done it before anyway.

"Ah, and it has to be from these stores, you know?" She handed me out a piece of paper with some directions on it "There are some discounts there"

"…Alright" Whatever. I don't want to be home right now anyway.

[…]

Discount sales are the bane of all loners. They force you to go to places far from home just to save some yens. Well, it's not like we have money to waste away, but we should have enough to justify buying in the nearest convenience store, damn. I hope they have MAX COFFEE at least.

Of course, this just started because of my own weakness towards my little sister. But, that's exactly what means to be an older brother.

Come to think about it, these stores feel strangely familiar, sure they aren't that far from home, but I don't remember being around here before. Normally, I would end up buying in stores nearer rather than those with better prices.

I pause for a moment trying to remember the origin of that déjà vu feeling. It made me uncomfortable. But I get cut off from it.

"Hey there, young man. Out for picking up girls?"

An older man with clean-cut looks calls outs to me. Normally I would just ignore him, since he is probably some seller or scammer and I never get called out, but this one appeared right in front of me. Also, another feature from him took my notice: his long ears.

He's a Devil.

While Gods had a particularly positive 'aura' around them, Devils gave a mysterious feeling to those around them. Incidentally I was always surrounded in negative vibes. That totally meant that I must a newtype. Right?

"…Just shopping." My voice is filled with suspiciousness. I don't know who this man is, nor what he wants, but I'm not as naïve to believe he's just trying to make friends.

"I see. Diligent, aren't we?"

"…Huh" I only shrug at that response. This is getting weird. Incidentally, I was only bringing some cash and even left my phone at home. So I wasn't as concerned about being robbed as from being hit.

"So… you aren't interested in playing with some girls in the weekend?"

Ah, so this was it. Sorry, old Devil, but I'm not interested in anything of that nature. Not like that in any case.

"No. I'm not interested in playing with the heart of anyone" This time I can fill my words with seriousness. Seems to be enough to shut him up.

"…I see, so you are pretty serious huh" Contrary to my expectation, the Devil just looks happy at my response. I'm a little taken back.

"…"

"Well then, I won't take more of your time"

"…Sure"

"Good bye, for now" He just says that and disappears in the crow of people. What a weirdo. And nothing of 'for now' please.

[…]

It didn't take much to find the store and the ingredients Komachi send me for. Just lacking meat now. The previous encounter with that Devil left me a little tense, but some meat and MAX COFFEE will probably raise again my spirits.

Yet, another obstacle appears in my path. Some girl is taking her sweet time at the meat section of the supermarket. Probably taking her time to decide between some cuts. Please woman, get over it. There's a loner here that wants to get home as early as possible.

"Mhh… This one is cheaper when I calculate the cost per gram, but this other is cheaper as a whole…" I wait patiently, but she doesn't seem ready to take a decision. Really, this kind of people were the bane of loners. Actually, shopping in general must be the bane of all loners.

Suddenly, she turns in my direction and we make eye contact. For some reason she seems frozen for a moment and an awkward silence falls while she stares at me. A beautiful girl. My breath is taken away and I can do nothing but stare at her dumbfound. It takes me some seconds to regain my composure. At that moment I see her ears.

A God.

With ears longer than humans but smaller than Devil's. She does give a bright aura. Well, whatever, I can use this to ask her to move. You are far too slow!

"…Uhm" Damned mouth of mine, react!

"Hey, Hachiman, which one do you think I should buy?" She waves a big pack of meat in one hand and two others in the opposite one.

Huh? Is she talking to me? Wait, that was my name isn't it? How much time since someone called me by name? Wait, better not thing about it. I will only depress myself.

"…I would go with the two packs"

"Yeah, father does eat a lot. I was a little worried"

"…W-what?"

"Thank you very much. I don't have much time left, but I will see you soon, Hachiman" She just says that and disappears between the lot of buyers in the supermarket.

[…]

…I decide to get back home and forget about this day as soon as possible.

Then it came to me. I used to live around this area when I was smaller. Komachi probably doesn't remember it, since she was but a toddler. But I went to an elementary school near here.

Thinking in my encounter with thick crows of people and that Devil, I opted for taking a detour around. There was no place for a loner in the middle of those people. I mean that being entrapped by swarms of people is even more isolating than being alone.

Basically, loners aren't just determined by the population density of their surroundings. There is a thing called the individual spirit as well. No matter how physically close you are to another person, you cannot be satiated if you cannot acknowledge your similarities.

That's why, even if I have to walk around this district full of repressed memories, is better than being pushed and compressed by a mass of sweaty people. See, these streets are pretty lonely. So it's alright in my book.

Still, the plastic bags in my hands are getting pretty heavy. I wonder why. Probably because I have been carrying them for a while now.

Thankfully for my exhausted body, my finely honed senses alert me of a park around the corner. Really, it seems there's some hope for me still. It's not even a complete park, just a small space between the houses with just a swing and a sandbox. Perfect for relaxing a little while.

While I got close to it, a melody entered my ears. As pure as a glass sculpture, a voice that was beautiful and smooth.

Soon, I saw the origin of the music. Sitting in the old swing of the small park. With long, silky, blue hair. A girl as beautiful as her voice. Giving the impression of being frozen in time, a moment that lasts an eternity. It was like a scene that creates a magnum opus painting.

For a brief moment there, both my mind and my body froze and I was captivated by it.

It takes a moment for me to notice that she's another Devil.

"Oh…" She suddenly stops singing and stares at me with an embarrassed look.

"Uh…Err, Sorry for interrupting."

"No… I was a little surprised, but please don't mind" No, even if you say that. It's only going to make more conscious of this.

"Erh, I was just passing by…" I try to say as I raise the plastic bags in my hands.

"I see… I need to get going too" She smiled at me and started moving from the old swing. "I'm looking forward to see you again, Hachiman-sama"

By the way, when I came home, Komachi lectured me about taking my time and made me help her with the rest of her assignments.

[…]

Monday. In Spanish is called Lunes. In French, you'd call it Lundi. It sounds weirdly perverted, even so I wouldn't exactly call it a happy day of the week, more like it just makes you sigh and think, "Not another week of school…" I wanted to take a day off from school about as much as I wanted to take a day off from life itself, but it wasn't like there was anyone who would write notes for me or bring me the class handouts. That inevitably makes your attendance rate go up.

The drowsy feeling from the day is only multiplied by the season. Yeah. If march comes like a lion, then july comes like a poisonous snake. This is the season of exams; in some weeks the most awaited vacations of the year will start. But before that, the tired students will have to wrestle with the tests and examinations of school. The days pass slower as the anxiety from tests, grades and vacation became more and more known. You just can't catch a break.

As I keep thinking of inconsequential things, the bell finally tolls, announcing the end of another day of lessons.

"Hikigaya. Come here for a moment" Uh? Hiratsuka-sensei calling for me isn't that much rare, but is usually when I'm late for class, or distracted during her lesson or after I present a well done essay that no one can understand fully. Man, I didn't do any of those things today.

"Uhh… Sensei, what did you need me for?" I haven't done anything, alright? Maybe I got a little bit distracted, but it was until near the end of the day, you can't fault me for that!

"Well it's not a big deal, but…" Huh she seems a little bit unsure, this doesn't sound very good to me. Every time someone says something like 'it's not a big deal', 'it won't hurt you' or 'I will call you'; it always ends up as the contrary. The last one is especially true for when interacting with girls. Source: ahh… totally not me.

"Have you encountered a girl from a different strain when you were little?" What do you mean like that? As if I ever made a promise about going to toudai to get with the girl and live a happily ever after? Sorry, but I can't remember a single promise with a girl. Actually, I can't remember a girl that didn't bully me during in those times.

"You mean like a God or a Devil?" Gods and Devils. Beings from myths and religion that actually existed in their own, separate worlds. Ten years ago a catastrophe surged and various gates connecting the worlds appeared around the place. Just the intro song in animes, this event was dubbed as "The Opening".

"Yeah" Sensei had a solemn expression. More or less the same one corporate slave has when is assigned more workload but denied a raise in his paycheck.

"Well, I can't say that I remember doing so. But then again, I don't remember much of that time" I mean, I can remember the insults other kids had for me and living in another part of the city. But more specific memories escape my grasp... Probably for the better.

"I see…" I thought of the weird encounters from yesterday, but those did happen just then, so they can't be counted as memories from my childhood. Even if we mature a little day by day, or better said, we just become older.

Some people say that time changes, but I disagree. It's not time what changes a person, but the experiences that one endures during that period. Just like a high-school reunion where some who used to be losers managed to change into success while others feel asleep in their previous accomplishments and became useless NEETs. Well, most of the time, losers kept on being losers while riajuus just kept on ascending in life. On that note, I was a winner craving my own path as a loner and would keep on winning by becoming a house-husband in the future.

"Is there some problem?" I actually don't care much. But if I was called then it has something to do with me. Probably. Actually, I hope it isn't the case, there's already enough in my plate with the club and the upcoming exams.

"Like I said, it's not a big deal… I hope"

"Huh? What do you mean by that?" Explain yourself woman, you were the one who called me. Why are you hiding information now?

"That's all I can say for now… However," She makes a determinate face and puts her hand in my shoulder "this..., isn't what I had in mind. But as a teacher, I will support you as much as I can!"

Scary! What the hell happened!?

"That's why, Hikigaya, please do your best" After saying that line straight up copied from some manga published in the JUMP, sensei goes out of the classroom with a dignified look.

Of course, while confused, I do the same.

[…]

It might be a little too late to describe what the 'Service Club' actually did, but we were supposed to listen to the problems of students and then try to help them out. If I didn't remind myself every now and then, I really would forget what this club was for. Most of the time, Yukinoshita and I just sat and read books. While Yuigahama just played around with her phone. It wasn't a place I would choose to go by my own will, but it was nice and quiet most of the time, so I didn't mind it much.

Sadly, today was a little different.

"Hey, Yukinon, have you heard?" Yuigahama had found something worth making a fuss about. It happened sometimes. Most of which were simple fashion statements, notices about new shops or some outing to invite Yukinoshita over. None of those ever interested me. That's probably why they never include much in those conversations.

"What is it, Yuigahama-san?" Yukinoshita responded with a sigh. She seemed to have grown accustomed to Yugahama's habit of ignoring the personal space of people. That's one high level skill right there.

"I heard that we're getting some transfer students!" Yurigahama chirped happily. As expected of a social butterfly, the opportunity to make more friends wasn't lost to her.

"How odd. People normally would wait until after the vacations to transfer" Transferring at this point of the year only meant to have to deal with the exams along the other students. Needless to say, Sobu is actually a pretty high-end school. It was one of the few 'multiracial schools' in the region and gave classes for Alchemy.

Actually, I wonder how did Yuigahama managed to enter. I had to wreck my brain to pass the entrance test.

"It does seem quite unusual"

"No, but I mean. I heard that they are from different straits" Strangely enough, Gods and Devils didn't seem to have much of private cliques to share over. They mostly got along with humans with similar interests. So it wasn't that rare to find them in varied groups. Still, that didn't mean all humans were welcoming of them. Even in a place like this.

"That does explain it a little more, indeed"

Because of the nature of the school, they were always receiving students that were either Gods or Devils. They also had a little more leeway in some things. Man, how lucky.

"Sorry to say this Yuigahama-san, but Hikigaya-kun will probably drive them away with his eyes"

She says something incredibly cold with a gentle expression. As expected, her talent for verbal abuse is high.

"Hey, wait. Are my eyes cursed or something?" that isn't the case, it isn't the case at all! Probably.

"Of course not, Hikicursed-kun. I was just saying that normal humans can't tolerate them" hey, aren't you being a little too cruel? It isn't like I choose my genes or something.

"Didn't you just heard from Yuigahama? The transfers are either Gods or Devils" I try raising my defense.

"Are you saying you can get along with them more than with fellow humans?" Yukinoshita gives me a look full of pity "Or is just wishful thinking?"

"Well…" No, no matter the race, I couldn't get along with people. I was a loner after all.

After keeping it like that for a while. The club finishes another day of not doing nothing noteworthy.

[…]

Another day, another penny. Except that I didn't work, so there wasn't much to gain just from waking up and going to classes. Sure, you can learn a lot from the Alchemy lessons, but most subjects are things you won't touch in your career or daily life, ever.

The humid air lingered inside the school building. The discomfort was further exacerbated by the crowd that had gathered around the entrance in the morning rush to school.

The word loner makes you think of someone hiding in a dark corner, but when you reached my level of loner, you'd rather wear your loner qualities on your sleeve. And so, as I stood alone at school, my surroundings formed an air pocket like the eye of a hurricane.

As I was changing into my indoor shoes at the entrance, I looked up and encountered a familiar face.

"Oh, hey Hikki!" I know it's a nickname harmless enough to make my middle school self go cry with joy. But once you think about it, isn't a little offensive too? I come to school, so it's not like I'm a NEET or anything.

"…Yo" My answer is swift and perfect. Seriously, my social skills have been raising up lately, at this pace it won't be long before I can man up and ask out Totsuka. Wait, Totsuka is a boy. Damn.

"What's with that?" She doesn't seem to like my greeting. How naïve, to think she would dismiss the shortest, and thus greatest, casual greeting our language allows "Anyway, today are coming the transfer students. I heard they are going to be in our class"

"Huh, that's a little weird" Needless to say, our school had put some consideration to having Gods and Devils around, so the ratio was more or less kept the same in all classrooms. Even if we were to get one of the transfers, it should have been only one at most.

"Yeah, but isn't it better? Oh! I need to go now, see ya!" Yuigahama just says that and dashes inside the building, probably to go meet with her clique. Seriously girl, running in the hallways is prohibited.

I do take my time at it. There's still time before the lessons start. I don't want Nadeshiko-sensei to catch me and make me run around the field. She has yet to see me doing anything wrong thanks to my loner skills, but I have seen some poor fools who were punished.

As those thoughts went through my mind, a silly commotion was unfolding around the hall, as if saying, "This is youth!". A large commotion was attracting lots of guys near the Teacher's lounge.

Well that was the thing with high school students, they just searched for any kind of excuse to slack off and forget about the greyness of being trapped in this place. I can't say that I blame them. If it weren't for the Alchemy lessons, I would be in home studying to become a house husband.

[…]

Contrary to my expectations, there was almost no one in the classroom when I entered, just about fourteen or so were around, mostly girls. It was not like I was particularly early, but is something nice. Having less people was always something welcomed. So I just went quietly to my seat and opened a book to pass time until the teacher arrives.

Casually looking up, I noticed Hayama and his friends, a mixed-gender group which consisted of five people. They were bunched up together and sitting in a circle, yabbering away.

Tobe (the easily excited one) promptly broke out into a ruckus about something. "Oh crap, the new students are coming to our class, man! Damn. What am I gonna do? Should we invite them somewhere?"

"I'll leave it to you." As Miura played with her cell phone in her right hand with palpable disinterest, she yanked on Tobe's drill-shaped hair with her left hand. Ebina-san and Yuigahama trailed behind her. The queen was ruling with her iron fist as usual.

Tobe was suddenly fired up upon being manhandled by Miura. "Oh! So is karaoke or something no good? I totally want to show my good side" Talk about riajuus, the students aren't even in class yet and they are already planning in making friends.

In that moment, Miura closed her cell phone with a snap. "Hm? Nah."

…she wasn't leaving it to him at all!

Without thinking, I did a mental tsukkomi to their conversation. Every day, I was honing my loner tsukkomi skills.

Inadvertently, my eyes went over to Miura and the others. When I did that, my eyes met with Yuigahama, who was among them.

She waved her hand, prompting me to nod my head and then avert my eyes. Damn woman. I don't want any attention from here.

The one who broke that peculiar atmosphere was Miura.

"I think we should invite them for bowling." Without any logical reason for it, Ebina nodded at the proposal Miura came up with. "I get it! The pins definitely look like pe-"

"Ebina, shut the hell up. Wipe your nosebleed," a disgusted Miura said as she handed Ebina a tissue. "Cover it up or something."

Giving out a tissue was a surprisingly kind gesture on Miura's part, but no matter how you looked at it, it was one of those tissues people gave out on the street advertising a dating service, so it was kind of a delicate situation.

But Hayama stroked his chin somewhat thoughtfully, as if he did not think the same way. "But we don't know what they prefer… Let's try deciding after asking them"

Miura changed her tune in a flash. "If you say so, Hayato," she sang. How two-faced can you get woman?

As if to interrupt any further nonsense, a crow of students from the class finally arrives. Just a couple of minutes before the bell tolls. You guys got a really neat sense of time. Hiratsuka-sensei also arrives, just on time.

"Alright people, calm yourselves" As usual, her voice is more along the lines of a teacher and less of a single middle aged- Huh Did she just glare at me?! Can she read minds?! When she became a newtype?

"Today we are getting two new students. Be nice to them" Just after she says that, the door opens and two… two middle aged men in casual clothes enter the classroom. As expected, the class erupts in murmurs.

"Haha. These youngsters seem healthy"

"Indeed, they must be so at their age"

They just keep talking between them. Not only me, but the rest of the students here a stunned to silence. It takes me a moment to recognize one of those as the Devil I meet last week.

"So, where's the boy?"

"Let me see… oh, there he is."

They point towards my direction. For a moment I think that they are looking for someone around my seat. But why their eyes are locked in mine?

"Oh, that boy then? He looks alright enough."

"Hi there Hachiman-chan. I'm sorry for the other day, but I think I got to know your character a little better." I recognize the Devil, the same from a couple of days ago.

"You seem like an earnest fellow. A man's needs to be sincere to love one woman with all his heart. It's very important" The Devil forcefully grabs me and shakes my hand, this one packs way more strength than his appearance would suggest.

"Please be good to Nerine." He just flashes a strange smile at me. If one had to describe it, then it would be bittersweet, like someone watching the end of Precure, sad because it ended, and happy for the protagonists there. It was the first time such emotion was conveyed to me.

For a moment there, I could have been fooled into believing it.

"Hey, don't go stealing the show Maou. Besides I think you're wrong. What a man need is strength. You need to be able to protect the lady anytime" The other man, a God judging by the ears, also gets uncomfortably close to me.

"You seem fit enough for a human, so there must be some potential in you. Be good to Sia, alright?"

Before the God can do or say anything else, he…he gets smacked by a girl, with a folded chair.

"Geez, father. I told you to not do this."

"That's right dad. You're bothering Hachiman-sama."

"I am sorry Nerine, but it was that he insisted about this." The devil uses the classic move of 'shift the blame', commonly used by politicians.

"What? You were the one who said-" The god tries to retord.

""You're both at fault!"" Both girls scream at the same time, perfectly coordinated. Did they practiced that or was just a common thing?

After that strange comedy skit, the girls just straighten themselves and try to introduce themselves to the confused class.

"My name is Lisianthus. Please call me Sia if you want" Just like with the old Devil, it was the second time I saw this God, the weird girl from the grocery shop.

"I'm Nerine. I hope we can get along" This one was also known to me… or at least it wasn't the first time I saw her. She was the singing Devil from Sunday.

"My name is Eustome, Sia's father. Also the King of Gods, for your information."

"I'm Forbesii, Nerine's father, AKA, Maou of the Devils. Nice to meet you all."

No, you don't need to introduce yourselves. Actually, please repeat that. You guys said 'king' and 'Maou'?

"Alright. Stop it. Whatever you guys have to say, it can wait until after classes" Hiratsuka-sensei looks like a responsible adult for the first time ever and chases the psychotic men out of the room.

Still, What the hell was up with this atmosphere!?… The situation was insanely uncomfortable, so it was really hard to stay in the classroom. An urge to just disappear completely from here is rising up. All of my classmates are looking at me and murmuring. Things like 'Who's he?', 'what's up with this?', 'they have some bad taste in men', 'Was he in the class?'. I'm pretty sure someone compared me unfavorably with Hayama there, but I did my best to repress such comment.

Please, I beg you to stop this. I haven't done anything to you, have I?

[…]

The bell finally announces the end of lessons and start of the lunch break. The transfer students were surrounded by the curious students. They were completely the center of attention. Even Hayama, the most popular guy around, was prying around. Yuigahama also seemed unsure if go to the girls or if come here and demand answers from my tired mind.

I decided to leave this place amidst the commotion. Hikigaya Hachiman withdraws coolly. I was too cool for school, if you want to know how cool I was, enough to become a Gang-Star. How? Don't bother asking me, it just works.

There's no point in dealing with this kind of craze without my MAX COFFEE. Actually, there's no point in dealing with this craze at all.

I went to eat lunch in my usual spot. My home base was on the first floor of the special building, to the side of the nurse's office and diagonally behind the cafeteria. To give you a better idea, it was a position from which I could see right out into the tennis courts.

"Wait! Hachiman-sama" Midway to my small paradise, actually just in the hall outside the classroom, a voice calls out to me. Man, it's weird to listen someone saying my name after so long. Normally people just say 'hey' or 'you' when referring to me.

"…Can I help you?" I turned by reflex to see who was.

"Ah, if you're going for lunch, do you mind if we tag along?" Nerine and Lisianthus, the new students, are there. Actually, shouldn't you girls be in class? I'm pretty sure you were surrounded by curious teens just a minute ago.

"Well..."

"Indeed, eat at adequate hours is important."

"Yeah, one can't skip meals."

I almost jump from hearing those voices from my back. Scary! You guys just appeared behind me! How?

"…Why are you still here?" Sensei should have drove you away already, and even if she didn't, I want you to scram from my sight.

"Well, we were curious about the school grounds." The apparent king of all gods answers with a selfish reason and a satisfied smile, like he was doing something praiseworthy.

"Exactly, there's the matter of security to take care of." Of course, the supposed king of all devils backs him up with a better thought reason. A headache begins to form in my skull, I know that humans, devils and gods are in "good terms" now, but seeing the heads of two races so (supposedly) different, acting like best buds does leave me confused.

"…Good for you. I will go now." Seriously, these people don't seem to understand how valuable alone time is for a loner like me.

"Ah! Hachiman, about lunch…" The God, Lisianthus interrupts me this time.

"…Why?" Not saying it to praise myself. But I don't believe this 'beautiful transfer student interested in you' That kind of crap is best left for wish-fulfilling animes. I'm probably repeating myself, but the whole thing does reek of scram.

"Let me explain that to you" The old Devil responds, unexpectedly.

"You were selected to be the candidate for Nerine-chan or Sia-chan's future husband, with all that entails"

"To put it plainly, you can choose to become king of the gods, or king of the demons. If you pick my Sia, you can use the power of the gods as much as you want!" The God intervenes.

"But choose Nerine, and all the power of the demons will be yours to use however your heart desires."

My mouth refuses to react. Looking at the girls in question, they just are smiling at me with a blush on their faces.

"You look confused, but I don't blame you for not remembering"

What do you mean by 'remember' Maou? My memory is so good that I remembered the name of a girl I'd never spoken to once. When I called out to her, her face contorted with fear. "How does this guy know my name…? I'm scared…" But that's enough of that story.

"You guys meet before in your childhood, they fell in love with you and the feeling never disappeared of their hearts… Talking about that, Nerine's breasts are pretty big, I'll have you know"

"Hey Maou! Don't say that! Sia's breasts may not be big, but she's still growi-" The God gets hit by his daughter again. With a chair... again.

"Father! Stop embarrassing me!" Uh. This one seems dangerous. Actually, did she just summon the chair from thin air? Are you the natural enemy of Tohno Shiki or something?

"Wait a moment! What do you mean by marriage!?" You see, if I were a girl, I wouldn't have the least bit of interest in a loner like me. Look, that's my talent as a ninja, okay. You can't help it when your existence is shrouded in shadows. Man, what a great ninja I am. Believe it… Except, I don't believe it.

"Actually, scratch that. How can you say that you love me? You don't know anything about me." This was getting too complicated to be a prank. But it's too… good? To be true.

Real life was never simple; it wasn't like a light novel in which thing would end up good and well for the protagonist just for grace of being himself. This world wasn't as bright as to gift that destiny upon me.

"Whatever happened in the past is in the past." I was not the same. I don't know what they are thinking, but whatever image they have of me is but a shadow.

"That's very true. Hachiman-sama probably has changed since then. We have too" Nerine seemed to have enough sense to see through the craziness of this.

"But that's why we are here. We believe that Hachiman is still the kind-hearted boy we fell in love with" Lisianthus-san also starts talking.

"So please, we are here to know more about you and let you know more about us"

"There you have it, Hachiman-chan" The Dev-, Maou. Puts his hand in my shoulder.

"Please do your best!" Eustoma hits my back as if trying to encourage me.

…This can't be happening.

A/N: This is set between Yui's birthday and the summer camp. Next chapters will have more comedy; I want this to be more light-hearted in general.

Mhh? What about my other stories? They will be updated in time, I have been dealing with a lot IRL. Still, if you are interested on the next release or just want to bounce ideas, then feel free to PM me. I enjoy talking to people around here.