Why is the Demon King like this?

"Now that the accident has already caused consequences, then..."

The night wind felt both humid and cold.

On the rooftop, only the hazy moonlight shone down. Shiraishi Chizuru raised her eyes, her brimming tears and tear stains on her cheeks were pitiful.

Instinctively sensing unease, from the boy's pleasant but indifferent tone, from the pupils hidden in the shadows beneath his baseball cap, Shiraishi Chizuru realized the danger.

"What...what do you want to do?!"

Aoki Keisuke moved closer and gazed into Shiraishi Chizuru's beautiful eyes.

The moonlight was obscured, and Shiraishi Chizuru plopped down on the ground, repeatedly trying to back away.

"So that you can keep the secret."

Keisuke Ao extended his finger and gently touched Chizuru Shiraishi's brow, saying, "I will curse you here—"

If you break this oath, you will lose your beauty, become bloated, and your heart will be corrupted. You will be unable to accomplish anything, and your loved ones will be forever separated from you. From birth to death, you will be forever bound by this unbearable fate!

"So...vicious?!"

A curse called Deception was planted in Shiraishi Chizuru's mind by Aoki Keisuke. The remaining spiritual energy infused into it gave the female doctor some strange feelings.

It felt like being frozen by an ice cube.

—It was as if the curse had truly taken effect.

But in reality, she never acknowledged any oath at all.

The so-called oath was invalid from the start!

However, that's not the point. As long as the goal can be achieved, even a lie has its value!

As long as Chizuru Shiraishi is unaware of the mysteries of the mystical side, after witnessing the illusion created by Hanako, she would not easily reveal the secret to others, nor would she be afraid of the lies told by Keisuke Ao, completely submitting to the curse and becoming a docile sheep.

"Or perhaps, you would be willing to become Hanako's sacrifice?" Keisuke Ao asked coldly.

Upon hearing this, Shiraishi Chizuru shuddered: "I will keep this a secret!"

From another perspective, the fact that Keisuke Ao didn't kill him to silence him is already more than enough—that's the conclusion the young female doctor drew from the plot of the comic book.

Could this kind of person be a good person?

After all, even the curse couldn't take her life.

"You don't need to be afraid, Dr. Shiraishi," Keisuke Ao began to gently comfort him. "For you, it's just a matter of forgetting what happened last night. There's nothing else you need to do."

You make it sound so easy!

Chizuru Shiraishi wanted to glare at him angrily, but she also had the decisive ability of an adult to back down.

Like a poor man burdened with mortgage, car loan, and children's tutoring fees, his bottom line for compromise is lower and lower, until he finally takes on the shape of a leader.

Tears welled up again—

Why do I have to encounter this just because I'm working overtime with Tsukishima?

Does this mean that from now on, we can only let Aokiji have his way...? The young female doctor seemed to foresee a bleak future ahead.

He was so angry he was trembling all over!

"Still afraid?" Aokiji removed his fingers, the coldness in his eyes seemingly vanishing with the curse. "Want some wine?"

He took out the tin can of wine from his pocket, which he had originally intended to use as a medium to hold spiritual energy, but unexpectedly it was no longer needed.

Although it's not possible to cast spells yet, infusing spiritual energy into the wine and igniting a spiritual fire can still harm the dead and ghosts.

"liquor?"

Chizuru Shiraishi looked over warily. Was it coming—forcing her to drink some strange stuff, then doing some weird things to her, until even her spirit... became tattered.

Aoki Keisuke had no idea what Shiraishi Chizuru was thinking. He shook the bottle and shoved it into Shiraishi's hand.

"The wine is quite good; consider it an apology for tonight."

The Demon King stood up, dusted himself off, and left with a nonchalant air.

"Remember our vow, do not harbor any illusions, I will be watching over you."

"Huh—?"

Left alone, Shiraishi Chizuru suddenly shivered. Before she could even wonder why Ao Keisuke hadn't attacked her, she remembered that there was a fierce demon hiding in the school building.

"Wait for me!"

The female doctor wiped her face and quickly followed.

……

"..."

It turned out that Keisuke Ao's plan was to quickly use the stairwell window to go around to the rooftop after getting out of Chizuru Shiraishi's sight, and then follow her to check if she was wary of the existence of the curse.

Once she's ready to leak information, Aoki Keisuke will naturally have a way to deal with her.

While the best way to keep someone's secret is to kill them, aside from the fact that Aokiji currently has no ability to destroy evidence, it would be rather uncouth to resort to violence to solve all the problems.

That's how it should have been—

But just as Keisuke Ao reached his hand to the windowsill, Chizuru Shiraishi poked her head out.

Is Hanako really that scary?

"You're just going to leave like this?"

Chizuru Shiraishi sniffled, as if she were facing a scumbag who had toyed with women's feelings: "Shouldn't we be having some introductory scene right now?"

"What?" Aoki Keisuke didn't follow her train of thought.

"It's... that kind of thing... that guides the protagonist into a mysterious world..."

She swallowed the words "tool" back, panting as she wondered if her actions would lead to even more serious consequences.

But for more than 20 years since she was born, she has received love and care from many people around her because of her face. This deep affection has given her an amazing intuition about certain emotions.

At this moment, this feeling was reminding her to catch up with Keisuke Ao, just as she had sensed danger at the beginning.

Whether for safety or for the sake of "secret," she chose to move forward!

Fear and curiosity!

Otherwise, wouldn't I be unable to sleep at night?

Upon hearing this, Keisuke Ao took a deep breath, naturally lowered his hand from the windowsill, and then stared calmly at Chizuru Shiraishi, saying, "I'm sorry, Dr. Shiraishi, you don't have that talent."

Shiraishi Chizuru's spirituality index: 6!

It has never changed from beginning to end; it belongs to the type that actively approaches the mysterious, but the mysterious may not necessarily be willing to respond.

Of course, if I go back to the toilet now to find Hanako, she would be happy to entertain me.

Meow~

Yuki proudly raised her head, her tail wagging back and forth.

"Then, that's settled."

Keisuke Ao adjusted his hat brim and walked downstairs.

He decided to cancel the planned surveillance—he had this feeling, after seeing the look in Shiraishi Chizuru's eyes hidden behind her tears, he knew that surveillance would just be a waste of time.

How should I describe it? The Demon King tapped the armrest with his fingers with great interest, then smiled.

Perhaps it should be called "stone"?

Like a finely carved jade stone, it shines brightly against the backdrop of the stars, radiating a soft yet resilient glow.

Even if it's just because of this stunning view, the operation tonight can be considered a success!

—I saw a side of the female doctor that is rarely seen.

He strolled downstairs, then thought back to his business. Although his visit to Hanako that evening had taken an unexpected turn, Aokiji hadn't come away empty-handed.

Perhaps because of the urban legend that Tokyo Hanako is gentler, her first target seems to have been influenced by this and evolved into a harmless and innocent species.

The ghostly thing hidden deep within the illusion clearly had the strength to give chase, but in the end, all that came out was a pitiful cry of grievance.

He's the one who ripped off someone's roof with a single blow; it seems rather impolite to go and visit him now.

I'll wait until they clean up the mess in their house, and then come back tomorrow...

Overall, it's all good news.

"Hello!"

As Keisuke Ao walked out of the teaching building, Chizuru Shiraishi stood on the third-floor corridor, raised the bottle of wine Keisuke Ao had given her, and shouted at him, "Let's drink together!"

Without turning his head, Qing Guijie simply waved behind him before disappearing into the night.

"What's wrong with you?" Tsukishima asked, coming out of his office in surprise upon hearing the noise.

Several teachers were peeking out from behind.

"Oops~"

Chizuru Shiraishi scratched her head, her face still streaked with tears, but a memorable smile appeared on her lips.

"My attempt to pick her up failed," she said.

(Follow-up: Please help!)