As we stood up to return to school, an impulse to grab Hew's hand led to an involuntary scratch. He protested loudly, much to Lola's amusement. However, the issue extended beyond the minor scratch I caused – the horrifying realization hit me that my blasted regeneration was regrowing my claws.

They weren't growing as rapidly as my skin or muscles did, but their growth rate far exceeded the norm for nails or hair.

I said bye to Hew and Lola in a hurry and headed straight to the restroom to assess my appearance and conceal the emerging horns and claws. The horns resembled small stubs at this point as if I had bumped my head and developed two bulges. Fortunately, they had been concealed by my hair until now.

Even if they become noticeable, I could still pass as a human with two bulges, but what should I do as they grow larger?

Must I cut them every four to five hours? Even once a day would be quite stressful!

Fortunately, I had my Mephisto boots on, and they adapted to my feet's claws, allowing me to ignore them for now. However, soon, I'd resemble someone wearing clown shoes.

I had another moment of panic. Did it even make sense to try to live this inconspicuous life? Why bother?

It was simply too much shit thrown continuously at me. Why is life so unfairly difficult?

I braced myself for another wave of tears and had to summon all my strength not to entertain the thought of spending the rest of the day locked in the restroom.

But if not, what was I going to do? Why was all this happening to me? How could all these things be related? I mean the magic, Mephisto's world, Ha'des and Deimos, and this Earth. Can there be any connection between all these, or is it just random happenings?

But where could the connection to my demon summons be? Why was that happening? It did not make sense; nothing seemed to make sense anymore. I pressed my hands against the wall over the toilet and tried to control my breathing. Keep calm, Lores, keep calm! If you start panicking, you do not solve anything!

The best would be if I could continue my life here and investigate. I might find some answers. I need to talk to my friends and see if they can help me. I cannot solve everything alone.

So, first things first, I should try to hide my growing horns, okay? I masked them with illusion spells and attempted to further conceal them with hair. I tried to create an illusion of hair extending above them, but my level of illusion magic was too low to make it look realistic, so I stuck to trying to make them disappear.

Hiding my claws was a more challenging problem in mana consumption, but they weren't that big yet. They seemed to be growing slower.

The wing-stubs were well hidden under the shirt, but I was not allowed to take my jacket off anymore, or else some unorthodox bulges would become visible on my back.

I practiced the spell for my horns a couple of times. I needed to cast it without looking in a mirror. I stood there in the toilet, waiting for my mana to recover, cast the spell blindly, then checked in the mirror to see if it was good enough, and once happy with the result, I proceeded back to class.

The rest of the day was a mess as I spent a significant portion of it hiding in the toilet, running there every time I ran out of mana.

Interestingly, I discovered that Doria and her friends, Ann and Sogi, also frequented the toilet to smoke some grass, which had a strange, sweet fragrance, but that was it. I did not intermingle with them, and they seemed happy to ignore me.

To increase my stress during hours, I got the impression that everybody was looking at me. Why? Did they see something? My paranoia went up to eleven until Constance asked me if it was true that I was the masked singer of Fata Morgana. Sure, Lola had not kept the news to herself.

Another unexpected observation was that the duration and possibly the quality of my illusion spells had slightly increased despite my debuffed state. That observation, at least, was a bit encouraging.

Even so, in the end, I decided to skip the last two hours, which were geography, leaving Constance to cover for me if the teacher inquired about my absence.

Upon reaching home, I noticed that my new magic book was showing signs of deterioration. Making good use of my new mobile, I spent almost an hour taking pictures of all the pages.

All the time, I practiced my illusion spells and managed to extend their duration to four minutes. While it might not be much, the reduced drain on my mana will allow me to maintain them consistently.

To ensure I didn't miss the timing for the spells, I downloaded a new app on my mobile that would make it vibrate at specific intervals, setting it to four minutes.

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For the wing stumps, I used some bandages to secure them to my back, minimizing their visibility. Although there was still a slight bulge under the blouse, it was much better, and if I had a jacket on, I could easily conceal them.

Attempting to cut my claws with a pair of tongs proved futile. Those claws were shaping up to be a significant problem.

After some experimentation, I opted for a different illusion strategy. Instead of concealing them entirely, I created an illusion featuring longer and sharper nails.

I wasn't a fan of long nails, but it seemed like the most practical solution. With these illusory long nails, I had better awareness of the extent of my claws, reducing the risk of inadvertently hurting someone. Moreover, the altered appearance signaled to those around me that there was something there.

Throughout, my mobile remained in my pocket, and as it vibrated every four minutes, I used the opportunity to practice my illusion spells. If I refrained from casting additional spells, I could now sustain these illusions indefinitely, as they consumed precisely the amount of mana I generated.

Delighted that I had found a solution, I checked my mobile messages and discovered one from Hew.

<>

Oh well, it was already past two, and I hadn't had lunch yet! Despite that, I decided to skip lunch and replied that I would be there.

After a final check in the mirror, I headed out. On the way, I ran into Lola. She was still with Tim or maybe again with him.

We exchanged a few words, but her main interest seemed to be when I would be heading back home.

I informed her that I'd likely return in the evening, shared my new phone number, and moved on. She didn't need to be so overt about heading home to hook up with him.

As my mobile vibrated in my pocket, I refreshed my illusion spell. Fortunately, it was working perfectly now. Hopefully, this app wouldn't let me down.

As I approached my bike, I ran into Helen and Daniel, who were casually strolling around the school's parking lot, waiting for their friend Simon. After exchanging greetings, we engaged in a brief conversation. Naturally, they were curious if I was the singer for Fata Morgana. Daniel, however, brought up the fact that I hadn't been playing handball lately.

"Is it because you've grown your nails that you don't play handball now?" he asked, casting a disapproving glance at my nails.

I sighed but explained that I was quite busy at the moment.

"Eh, busy making music?" they asked, and I nodded. That was good enough for an excuse.

Just as I was about to leave, Daniel requested an autograph.

"Okay, that's a first for me!" I mentioned, and, true to his words, he insisted I write that down, too.

My mobile vibrated in my pocket, reminding me to renew the illusion spell. I was gradually getting the hang of it, and casting my illusions became a routine.

I bid them farewell, informing them that I was headed to see Matt in the hospital, and they promised to come and check on him as well.

As I kick-started the bike, it felt like I had transformed into some sort of biker demon. I truly enjoyed the power and agility it offered and filled my heart... with the only caveat being that it shouldn't rain!

While flying would be my preference for short and long-distance travel, it required too much mana at my current level, so I stuck with the bike.

Navigating the streets on the motorcycle was a joy, allowing me to bypass most traffic issues. Although I refrained from overly dangerous or spectacular acrobatics, I relished the ability to raise it on the back wheel if the mood struck. Riding within inches of speeding cars or trucks and maneuvering between them brought me a peculiar satisfaction. I couldn't quite explain why I enjoyed the risk, perhaps a genetic quirk, but that seemed to be the case.

Thanks to these maneuvers, I reached the hospital in record time.

Once I entered Matt's room, I was surprised to find out that I was the first one there; the boys hadn't arrived yet due to traffic. I greeted him and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Perhaps he expected more, or maybe I was too reserved in the way I did it?

He raised a brow and asked, "Is there something?"

His quick realization caught me off guard. There was indeed something, but how did he pick up on it so quickly?

I let out a heavy sigh, and the next moment, I realized that I shouldn't have.

We weren't really a couple; it was only White Flower who seemed to have taken a liking to him. I suppose she believed he was the best match for Dolores, or maybe she genuinely loved him?

The problem was, I didn't love him. I wasn't as strongly against him as Dolores was, but rather neutral, and I think he felt that.

The question that had been on my mind for several days now was: should I continue the charade that White Flower had started? The correct, honest answer seemed to be no, wasn't it?

I cared about him and wanted to maintain our friendship; he was dear to my heart in that way, but not as a lover. I couldn't envision a romantic relationship with him. I shrugged.

"Would it be... a problem if we remained just friends?"

“Hm, so, something did happen!” - was his conclusion, not giving me a straight answer.

His response was calm, but I sensed his heartbeat quickening as his eyes searched for clues. My own heart raced, fearful of losing his friendship. I shook my head.

"Nothing has happened! I was only wondering if we're not moving too quickly. It has nothing to do with you; it's just me and my own issues."

My mobile buzzed in my pocket, jolting me out of my thoughts. After a brief moment of annoyance at the interruption, I renewed the illusion spell on myself and sighed.

He continued to gaze at me intently.

"If you want, we can remain just friends, but you should know that I'm always here for you. My feelings haven't changed... The truth is, I never really had the chance to tell you how much I love you!"

"Matt, please," I interjected, taking his reaching hand in mine, trying to protest against receiving a declaration of love.

He was looking so pathetic and endearing, locked there in his bed, but at the same time, making efforts to grasp my hand and earnestly trying to convey his emotions.

He maintained his serious gaze.

"I just want you to know, Lores," he said, gently squeezing my hand.

I nodded in agreement.

Fortunately, the sudden arrival of the boys provided a welcome interruption, sparing me from further discussions.

While greeting and hugging them, I intensively thought about what had just happened.

Why did I have to tell him that? I hadn't planned to reveal my feelings at that moment, especially when he seemed so vulnerable. However, I couldn't bring myself to play the role of a loving partner when those feelings weren't present in my heart.

Clarifying things actually made me feel better. I cared deeply for him, and I had even taken extreme measures to save him... ahem, I didn't want to bring to my memory all those shady things I did... but the realization was hard and clear—I didn't love him.

I wondered if this had something to do with being a demon? Could I truly experience love or have feelings? But I do have feelings for him, or does friendship not count as love? No, it does not...

I shook my head; it must be that I can love.

I sighed, hiding behind the boys, asking myself why do these love matters have to be so complicated!?