When I exit the classroom, Hestia isn't there anymore. Don't tell me she overheard my conversation with the teacher. Damn, that puts a huge damper on my mood. But it makes sense, doesn't it? A demon and an angel becoming friendly with each other doesn't work anywhere, not even in a fantasy world. I really like how pure she is, so if she were to lose that aspect about her , it wouldn't feel the same.

But at the same time, I feel an urge to corrupt her well up from deep within me. Ravage her purity, destroy her innocence and drag her down to hell-

I shake my head. Is this the result of having this body? If it's an instinct, I can control it with my consciousness. I'm not a simple beast that gives in to its basic urges! I feel like screaming, but I suppress it. Suddenly, my rose-colored school life seems to have turned pretty gray...

At least there is one sanctuary for me to return to. At the door to the canteen I'm greeted with a tackle-hug from Kamii again. I return the hug and kiss her hair. If someone were to tell me that I can't see this girl anymore either, I'd snap. I look around but can't find Hestia's distinct winged figure anywhere inside the canteen. Makes sense that she'll keep her distance from me now and prefer not to be in my presence at all.

 I can't help but think about this aura of corruption that I supposedly exude. Why did Arcelia not notice it? She's supposed to be a saint with mastery in light magic. Additionally, how can I use light magic, if my existence is one of darkness and filled with curses? I'm lost in thought during the meal, so much that I already forgot its taste while on the way back to the dorms.

"Nya? If it isn't Chloe with Kamii. Perfect timing, I have Kamii's custom-made uniform here for you." Did I just dream it or did Ninlil really make a cat sound just now? She hands me a stack of school uniforms. "But I have to say... that way of modifying your uniform is... interesting." She's looking at my shortened skirt and the fake thigh-highs. "It really suits you, though."

"Thank you, Mistress Ninlil." I don't have much presence of mind to enter a conversation with her, even though I enjoy her distinct voice and accent. I excuse myself and we return to our room.

I shut the door behind me and am greeted by Senka lying on her bed sprawled out like a broken doll. Did she run out of energy? Will I have to bring her some blood again? But she sits up like a puppet on strings and looks at me with her piercing, emotionless eyes.

"What happened? You look terrible." Thank you for being so frank with me...

I fall onto my bed and bury my face in the pillow. Kamii nestles into my side right after, so I turn to face her. I think even if she knew that my presence might cause her curse to worsen, she would still remain by my side. Now I appreciate her even more than just as a cute and clingy companion.

"Do you know anything about the corruption spread by my kind?" This is directed at Senka.

"Yes." She doesn't say any more than that and sighs. Is it something I might not want to hear after all? "I think this is not the right time to speak about that yet..." Apparently that's the case. "... it would be too big of a reveal at this point." What do you mean by that? "Does it have anything to do with the girl with the angel wings we saw yesterday on the field?"

"You're really perceptive, you know."

"Hestia?" Kamii asks with a questioning look and I pet her hair. I don't have to tell her about how Hestia left after most likely hearing about me being a demon. It'll only cause her to dislike her unnecessarily.

"Your mother spreads corruption around the world with her sheer presence. Normally it can't be detected until it's too late, such as when babies or beasts are born with cursed bodies." She looks at Kamii at this. "But Fatas... their wings are like those pH test strips." I think I'm the only one who could understand that comparison in this world. "They will get discolored and gain gray spots. In extreme cases, black feathers will start to appear." Reminds me of a certain alliance of girls with small gray angel wings.

"What happens to those with gray or black wings?"

"That's unknown, since the Fatas have secret ways to counteract the effect of the corruption. None of them ever got to the point where all their feathers turned black, so nobody knows what really happens in the end. But I'm sure you can understand the psychological fear of having pure white wings turn black. Some will lose control of their emotions, become susceptible to sickness and even outright die, when not treated in time - even long before the discoloration becomes extensive. Well, it's possible that's just Nocebo, but it has a measurable effect on them."

"That does sound pretty bad. Really though, why do you know so much about this world? How old are you?"

"Haven't you learned not to ask a lady her age?" The sarcasm is almost tangible. "I can only say that I'm older than that principal." So over a hundred, huh?

I touch Kamii's crab claw softly and consider what I've learned so far. Humans fear and hate demons because their kind spreads corruption and kills humans. There have been expeditions with the sole purpose of killing my mother, whose aura can reach all the way across the ocean. Fatas are a race of angels that are most susceptible to that aura and will go mad or become sick, and even die, when affected by the corruption for too long. And Hestia doesn't have access to the methods to stave off its effects here at the academy.

Wait, but doesn't maou-mama's aura still reach all the way here? Wouldn't she still be affected by it, even if I'm not around? Furthermore, I'm the same as maou-mama, so my aura should also be stronger than that of other demons. Then again, I'm not as powerful as her, or so I'd think. In the first place, why was Hestia sent here without a means of protection against the corruption, if Fatas are so easily affected? A lot of things don't add up...

Don't tell me they just want to keep me away from her because I'm a demon, not because I'll affect her body. Maybe they think I'll corrupt her pure mind with demonic knowledge or something like that? But that sounds really childish. You can't be sure in this more or less medieval world, though. Whatever the case, she herself has decided to keep her distance, and I won't be running after her to clear things up. It's her decision after all.

She seemed quite taken with me though, so why would she leave without a word? Is the fear of demons, or the preconception so strong that her kind won't hesitate to cut off all relations to someone they are friends with or even love, just because they found out that person is a demon? Although we only know each other since today, so I guess saying that we've become friends is a little premature. Her feelings must have been the same as those in the female kouhai who wrote me love letters in the first week of my second year in high school - a way to show affection to an older sister they respect and look up to.

"K-Kuroeh..." Kamii's heated voice takes me out of my thoughts.

"Eh?"

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"Now you've done it." Senka comments with an expression that's clearly not amused. "This will have to be put into the adult section now."

"Wha-?" I look down and realize what I've done.

Apparently I've been playing with Kamii's body while deep in thought and she's become a real mess because of it. Even over her dark purple skin can I see that she's flushed, and her body is drenched in sweat. She's leaning against me weakly, shivers of pleasure running through her weak, sprawled out limbs. I lift my hand from between her legs and find it equally drenched. Her eyes are unfocused and she looks like she doesn't understand what happened to her. Those glowing violet pupils, coupled with her defenseless expression stir something deep within me. I lick my fingers absentmindedly and look down on Kamii.

"Alright, that's my cue to get out of here..." Senka says but I don't really hear her.

I think the taste of this meal will be much more memorable than dinner was...

Now I've really done it. That's the first thought I have after waking up in the morning. The outside of the windows is still dark, but I'm wide awake. I'm naked in bed, and so is Kamii beside me. There's a thick smell of unmistakable origin in the room. And Senka's not in her bed.

I can remember everything I did clearly, but I wasn't myself when I did them. How could I do such things to such an innocent little girl? The silver lining is that I at least didn't turn my arms into their real form... I feel that would have put me past a point of no return.

Kamii stirs and wakes up. I can't face her! She turns to look at me and there's a blush on her cheeks as she smiles to me. Ahhh, a look of afterglow in the morning after! There's a glint in her eyes different from before. She looks more... mature. We climbed the stairway to adulthood together, although it felt more like I was just playing with her.

"Onee-sama~" She murmurs and nestles into my chest.

I... I did teach her to call me that several times, whenever my mouth was free. And she started to do so when she was able to have enough breath to speak from time to time. I think something about our relationship has changed profoundly tonight, and it's too late to take it all back. I'll have to be an adult and take responsibility.

But first, we need to take a bath, and clean up the bed. I don't want the dorm mother to find out. I doubt what we did was acceptable within the rules and regulations, although I'd have to read through them in the first place to be able to know for sure.

Somehow I have a feeling that I'm forgetting something I've been worried about yesterday, but I can't recall it at all.

"I don't mind you doing such things, but please keep it down." Ninlil confronts us when we leave our room. Ahhh, this is so embarrassing! Kamii was quite loud, but I didn't care about it at all. I should have! I feel like punching my entranced self from last night.

I apologize profusely and am let off the hook with a warning. But really, this school is quite lenient in that regard, huh? Well, there are adults enrolled here, too, so it'd be strange if that never happened. Still, we're in a girls-only dorm building and it's the one for the younger generation, too. I'm sure there were a lot of students too young to know about such things listening in on us, too. So embarrassing!

Breakfast is quite awkward, with a not-as-clingy but steamier Kamii beside me. A lot of girls' eyes are on us, most likely those who have rooms neighboring ours. Some are blushing, others have disapproving looks and some are whispering to each other. This story will make its rounds within the school in no time at all.

Strangely enough, it didn't take any convincing for my previously so clingy little dark elf to separate from me for class. Well, she does seem more mature now and understands that we'll see each other during lunch break and after classes. They grow up so fast. Sniff~

My class is Basics of Water Magic, but I can't concentrate at all. It's not that I'm constantly thinking about what happened last night, but rather about what I forgot over it. I just can't seem to recall it, but it's nagging me.

"The basic spell we learned yesterday, do you all remember?" The teacher, whose name I've already forgotten, is a middle-aged man with light brown hair and blue eyes. He's the scholarly type and wears an ultramarine robe over his slender body. Not my type, so not really interested.

"Yes, Inebriat. It is a spell to summon a small ball of water that can be molded for various uses." An overeager boy answers. The girls in the class aren't really listening either and all glance at me from time to time. I made an impact on the first day alright. Or rather, first night. At least there seems to be separation between girls and boys, since none of the latter have heard about what happened in the girls' dorms... yet.

"Miss Marcott, I have heard that you have an immense command over the flow, so could I ask you to perform the spell for all to see?" The teacher asks of me and I'm taken aback for a moment. Damn, I need to start focusing, my goal in coming to this academy was to learn magic first and foremost, so I shouldn't let other things get in the way of that at least.

"Inebriat!" Oops, I think I said it out too loudly. A school swimming pool-sized ball of water forms above the class, covering the sky. Everyone looks up in astonishment. I forgot to keep my mind on it, oh shi-

Luckily, the teacher has greater control over water than I do and stops it from falling and drenching the entire class, before channeling it into the nearby moat. But he looks really shocked at the immense difference between his own version of the spell and mine. The water he summons is just enough to fill a barrel, while that of beginner students range from a pitcher's to a bucket's in size.

This teacher is certainly better than yesterday's, though, as he doesn't just devolve the class into a private session to teach me various spells. We're taught to practice the beginner spell and use it to create various forms in the air, but since my control in output is pretty poor, I don't do it too often. I fear I'll flood the citadel, if I create too much water and make the moat spill over. The class passes quickly, as I absentmindedly work on trying to achieve some semblance of modesty in my spells.

Lunch break with Kamii. She doesn't tackle me upon seeing me anymore, but still hugs me tightly. I respond by petting her hair. Yep, our relationship can't go back to the more innocent way from before anymore. A lot more girls are staring at us during lunch, and certainly not because we're eating huge portions again. I can spot some boys whispering to each other. It's making its rounds among them, too, alright...

When I turn to my side I finally realize what I've forgotten. A certain big-breasted girl with angel wings and an aura saying "bully me" is missing from the seat beside me. It was completely gone from my mind after last night. She wasn't in the water magic class, so I guess she either skipped it or doesn't have an affinity for it. I don't spot her in the canteen, either, but with the rumors going around about me by now, I'm sure she must have lost all faith in me being a good person despite being a demon.

"Uhm, are you Miss Marcott?" I turn my head around to see a girl around the age of Kamii looking at me with an uneasy, almost scared expression. Oi, I'm not some kind of sexual predator who's going to push any girl she sees to the ground. You don't have to look so uncomfortable talking to me.

"Yes?" I'm being a little more careful about my demeanor, so as to not give her a reason to suspect any sudden actions on my part. Kamii actually doesn't seem to mind that another girl is talking to me. Well, that there last night was a sign that our relationship is something special. Damn, I need to stop relating everything that's happening today to it.

"Someone would like to talk to you behind the library building right now." Don't tell me... a confession? Considering it's a girl bringing me this message, the other person must be a girl, too. I turn to look at the dark elf, but she watches me without a word. Is that approval or non-understanding?

"I will come right away." I'm done with lunch anyway, and it would be rude not to answer the request. Is my school life going to turn back to rose-colored after all? Kamii follows me, as expected.

Along the way I tell her to stay back when we reach the place, and she agrees quite readily. I'm feeling a little lonely over her change in attitude, but her smile is filled with more warmth than ever. It used to be mainly affection towards her savior and the person closest to her, but this is clearly love now. It's... different, but I don't dislike it.

I round the large library building and see the person waiting for me a few steps away. Pure white angel wings, silver hair and an almost ephemeral air about her presence.

It's Hestia.