It was the second time that Cobalt had ever shared a bed with Izzbelle, and by his count, that was two times too many. True to her word, she didn't let him go once she had gotten her confession out of her system, and held him close the entire night as she slumbered beneath the Incubus' futon.

He, however, was not so lucky.

Trapped in the Oni's heated embrace, Cobalt was forced to contemplate his student's impassioned proclamations whilst feeling her heartbeat at his back, smelling her scent all around him and still tasting her saliva on his tongue. He lay there, eyes open wide as he went through the things she had told him, word by word.

When she spoke at the altar in Inferno, he had simply hoped that she was only saying what she needed to appease her father. When they were pushed together at the New Year's party, he was relieved to hear that she wanted to forget that it had ever happened.

And now... now she told him that she was in love with him.

Him.

Between her and Jelli... just what the Hell was going on...?

When she awoke in the morning, Cobalt was half-expecting her to grow angry and strike him in some way. In fact, he was almost hoping for the eventual outburst of anger. But no, Izzbelle just looked him the eyes for a moment before rolling out of the futon and wishing him a good morning before she climbed back out the window.

After that, he just couldn't focus on anything. His nerves were completely worn ragged by constantly looking over his shoulder for any sign of Diate, and since finding out that the Devil had been in his room recently, the Incubus began to jump at every little noise or movement in the corner of his eyes. It was starting to affect his work, as he could barely keep it together to get one class out of the way, never mind an entire day.

"Sir?"

Then there was the issue of the rose petals. Since the altercation at the sports field and the issue of Izzbelle and Jelli had shunted it to the back of his mind, after he thought on it, Cobalt's anxiety only got worse. When his teeth fell out, in place of blood, he found himself holding a handful of petals. Caen had told him that Brass mentioned seeing roses too, right before...

"Hell to Cobalt, hello?"

It couldn't be happening, right? Not now, after all this time. He had avoided his fate; his Everlast Syndrome made sure of that. Aside from the occasional flash of anger or frustration, he hadn't been feeling any symptoms or cravings either. No, it had to have just been a trick of the light, or maybe some cruel joke on Diate's part.

Cobalt didn't even like meat all that much.

"Sir!"

He was suddenly snapped out of his daze by the sound of someone clapping their hands directly in front of his face. Brought back to reality, the Incubus winced as sunlight glared into his eyes and the cacophony of dozens of people suddenly slammed into his ears.

"Wh- What? Sorry?" he exclaimed, blearily looking around him.

He was sitting at one of the al fresco tables at a small café, just outside the Brimstone Shopping Mall. It was a beautiful summer evening, and the town was abuzz with demons going about their business. Somewhat confused, he looked down to find himself holding a cold mug of tea in his hands, while across from him, Whitney Brode sat with a worried look on her face.

"Sir, you've been spacing out since we got here. C'mon, didn't I say you needed to relax and forget about this Diate guy? That's, like, why we came here!" the Nymph said, opening her arms out wide.

He held a hand to his head. Of course; he had forgotten. Whitney had taken him out to the local shopping centre in order to take his mind off the whole Devil situation. And yet here he was, still fretting.

"I'm sorry. I just had a rough night," he sighed, slowly pushing his tea away from him.

"Yeah, we were all a little apprehensive of letting Izzbelle join our little guard duty thingy. She didn't bully you too bad, did she?" asked Whitney, her ears idly flicking.

"What? N- No, not at all. It was just, um... a strange experience. For the both of us, I'd say."

"Yeah, I'll bet."

They sat in silence for a few moments as a warm gust of wind picked up, blowing through her electric-blue hair and briefly revealing Whitney's other eye from beneath her fringe.

"Hey, I'll go get you another tea. You look like you could use it," Whitney suddenly stated, getting out of her chair as she took the mug from his hands.

Too tired to refuse, Cobalt just nodded.

"Thank you, Whitney. You really don't need to do all this for me," he sighed.

"Why not? We're friends, right? And you've done enough for me; I wanna, like, repay the favour and stuff."

He gave her a quizzical look, whereupon the Nymph just grinned and stuck out her studded tongue before she turned and headed into the café to order her teacher another tea. Taking a deep breath, Cobalt clasped his hands and smiled weakly. His life was at stake and there was a monster dogging his every move, and yet this plucky band of tertiary schoolgirls were willing to protect him, for reasons he couldn't quite fathom.

"You're lucky to have them, Trayer..." the Incubus murmured to himself.

"Lucky? I'd say you're more than just lucky to have a fine thing like myself so close," scoffed a familiar voice from behind him.

Something warm and wet slithered across Cobalt's ear, causing him to cry out and almost topple out of his chair. With a girlish giggle, Karazelle Terna stepped out from behind her teacher and planted herself in Whitney's chair, licking her lips as she grinned at him.

"Hey, why so shocked? Nothing wrong with a little kiss from your favourite student, right?" the Succubus joked.

"Th- That was more than a kiss! I- It was highly inappropriate, a- and I don't have favourites!"

"Really now? So why else would you be sneaking off with Butterskin? I know she's got that alt-girl appeal, but I really didn't think that you of all people would be into that. Hmm. Maybe I oughta look into getting some hair dye..."

"Karazelle!"

With a laugh, she leaned back and propped her feet up on the table.

"Oh lighten up, sugar; I'm joking! I know she's taking you out for a destresser. How could I not; she's been bragging about it all night," Karazelle said, lifting Whitney's coffee mug and taking a sniff.

Grimacing, she picked a shaker off the table, unscrewed the top and began pouring it into the Nymph's drink.

"So you thought you'd invite yourself along?" Cobalt said, raising an eyebrow.

"Of course! We make a Hell of a threesome!" the Succubus laughed.

The pair heard the sound of someone groaning behind them, whereupon they both turned to see Whitney standing in the café doorway, holding a fresh mug of black tea.

"Y'know, I had a feeling you'd crash in at some point, Whoretits. You always show up where you're not wanted. Here you go, sir," she sighed, setting the tea down in front of Cobalt.

As he thanked his student, she returned to her side of the table and tipped Karazelle out of her chair. Right as Whitney sat down, however, Karazelle spun around on her heel and planted herself right on the Nymph's lap, much to her outrage.

"What, and let you monopolise Mr. Trayer in his moments of weakness? Come on, Butterskin; you oughta know me better than that!" she retorted without skipping a beat, running a hand through her friend's hair.

"Wha- get off me! You're crushing me with your fat ass!"

"You call my ass fat one more time and I'm gonna have to sit somewhere else entirely, make you appreciate it up close~!"

"What?!"

Fearing a public argument, Cobalt quickly cleared his throat and gave the two demons a stern look, prompting Karazelle to roll her eyes and begrudgingly climb off Whitney's lap.

"Alright, alright... you can be such a spoilsport sometimes," she announced loudly, leaning against the walls as she folded her arms.

"Feel free to leave at any time, Whoretits."

"Oh, so cold! Between this and you not getting me a drink, I'd almost feel like you don't want me here!"

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"If I got you a drink I would have spat in it."

"You say that like it's a bad thing."

Cobalt drank deep of his tea and set the mug down irritably.

"Okay, that's enough! Shall we hurry up and just get to shopping?" he sighed.

Giving Karazelle a dirty look, Whitney nodded.

"Yeah, sure. Lemme just finish this."

With that, she took a deep swig of her coffee-

"MMRGH?!"

- and immediately spat it out all over the table. Slamming the mug down so hard it threatened to shatter, the Nymph whipped around and grabbed Karazelle by the shirt lapels, who was trying desperately not to burst out laughing.

"DID YOU POUR FUCKING SALT IN MY COFFEE?!" she shrieked, shaking the Succubus back and forth.

"What~? Of course not~!"

With a deep sigh, Cobalt raised his hands to his head and massaged his temples.

If they kept at this all day, then this shopping trip was only going to serve to make things worse...

-----

Cobalt was a fool to believe that Karazelle and Whitney could ever be civil to one another. He had hoped that if they were in a public setting that they would at least try to behave themselves, but clearly his faith was misplaced. For the first couple of stores that they visited, the two girls threw constant digs at each other, with the Nymph making passive-aggressive remarks and the Succubus never failing to counter with lurid comments. For the most part, the Incubus managed to keep the peace, but their bickering was starting to wear at his patience.

Though Whitney offered repeatedly to buy him snacks or take him stores of his choice, Cobalt declined her kindness and instead only bought himself a few new pencils and erasers at a stationary store, much to Karazelle's annoyance.

"C'mon sugar, isn't there anything you wanna get?" she said as they stepped out into the main mall.

He shrugged.

"I don't really need anything, and besides; I don't want to spend my money willy-nilly," he responded, holding the paper bag of stationary to his chest.

"Well yeah, that's why Butterskin's been so desperate to treat you, aside from the fact that she has a massive cru-"

"Hey!" Whitney snapped from up ahead, narrowing her one visible eye.

Rolling her eyes, the Succubus leaned on her teacher's shoulder.

"C'mon~, let's get you something nice! Me and killjoy over there need to pick up some new clothes for the Summer Festival anyway, so why don't we go and pick you out something nice?" she suggested.

Cobalt's eyes widened. The Summer Festival; a celebration held at the end of the school year, where the third-years undergo the Aging Ceremony and progress to the third stage of growth.

He dimly remembered missing his own, having spent that day in a hospital bed.

"I'd completely forgotten about the Summer Festival..." Cobalt murmured.

"Well that's settled then! We'll grab our dresses, then we'll find a nice suit for you to wear! C'mon, it'll be fun!"

Grabbing Cobalt's wrist, she began to drag him through the crowd towards a large department store at the far end of the Brimstone Shopping Mall.

"H- Hey! What the Hell are you doing, Whoretits?!" Whitney cried, giving chase.

The Succubus just tittered gleefully in response as she darted across the shopping mall, weaving in and out of the crowds of shoppers as Cobalt was tugged along helplessly behind her. Once inside the store, she dragged him up to the menswear section and sat him down on a couch in a small waiting area generally reserved for bored children and impatient spouses.

"Alright, sugar! You just sit tight and I'll be right back! Don't worry; I'll make you the handsomest Incubus at the ball!" she laughed before turning on her heel and jetting off before he could get a word in edgeways.

Skimming over the fact that he was likely going to be the only Incubus at the Summer Festival, Cobalt took a deep breath and leaned back into his seat, taking advantage of this brief moment of respite to collect his thoughts. After a few minutes, Whitney appeared, wiping the sweat from her brow as she leaned against a coat rack for support.

"Stupid... purple... ugh..." gasped the Nymph, exhausted from chasing after Karazelle.

Clearing his throat, Cobalt waved her down, prompting Whitney to put on a smile and collapse onto the couch next to him.

"H- Hey sir. Sorry I couldn't catch up. Usually I'm a lot quicker, but my leg is still, like, hurting a little," she remarked, rolling up her trouser leg to reveal the bruise on her shin.

Cobalt's eyes widened.

"Shouldn't you be resting?" he exclaimed.

"What, and miss hanging out with you? Hell no."

His words caught in his throat as he heard that. Cobalt couldn't quite place why, but those words made him feel... nice.

"I- I see..." he mumbled, staring down at his feet.

Smiling, the Nymph brushed her hair out of her eyes and looked around the store, squinting through the clothes racks for any sign of Karazelle.

"Where'd she go, anyway?"

"I'm not sure. She more or less insisted on picking something out for me, and I wasn't really sure how to decline her enthusiasm."

Whitney's brow furrowed.

"Oh no. I've seen Whoretits' wardrobe, and lemme just say that her taste is not to everyone's palate. If she gets her way then you'll be attending the Aging Ceremony in, like, a speedo. Here, I'll go find something actually good for you."

Before Cobalt could stop her, Whitney got out of her seat and disappeared into the depths of the menswear section, leaving the Incubus alone on the disinterested spouse couch. Swallowing hard, he sat and twiddled his thumbs as he slowly tracked his gaze across the floor of the department store. Across from him was another couch where a single Oni man sat on his phone. He glanced up, their eyes met, and he gave Cobalt a sympathetic grin.

"Shit's tough, huh?" the man remarked.

"I- I suppose it is," Cobalt stammered in reply, unsure of what else to say.

"Yeah. Forty years of marriage and my wife still won't let me pick my own clothes," laughed the Oni, nodding at an Imp woman as she perused a rack of fancy shirts.

The Incubus forced on a smile.

"Maybe she just wants you to look your best?"

"Hah! Or maybe she wants me looking my worst to scare off other women!"

He began laughing loudly, and though Cobalt tried to join in, he could only manage a nervous chuckle at the man's joke. Folding his arms, the Oni nodded at someone behind Cobalt's couch.

"Here's your girl now. Word from the wise, son; just agree with whatever she tells you to wear. Easier that way."

"Hey sugar, make a new friend?" remarked Karazelle as she stepped into view, carrying a veritable mountain of clothes in her arms.

Right as he made to reply, he heard someone loudly clear their throat to his left. Glancing over, Cobalt saw Whitney emerge from behind a rack of suit jackets, carrying a similarly sized pile of garments. The Oni's eyes widened as he gave a low whistle.

"Damn, don't see many thruples these days. Good luck, kid," he uttered, nodding to Cobalt before getting up and walking away.

As Whitney guttered and gasped at his statement, Karazelle took advantage of her shock by grabbing her teacher's wrist and dragging him over to the changing rooms.

"Alright, so I figured I'd get you a selection of stuff. Nothing overly fancy; just some slacks, shirts and a couple of jackets to try on, but they were doing some waistcoats over there if that strikes your fancy. I thought about picking you out a tie too, but..."

Stopping for a moment, she shoved the clothes into his arms and tugged at the tie around his neck.

"... I can't imagine you in anything other than this one. Weird, huh?" Karazelle sighed, planting her hands on her hips.

Cobalt nodded solemnly.

"Well, it's something of a good-luck charm. My mother gave it to me on my first day at B.I.D., back when I was sixteen."

She cocked her head.

"Sixteen? Isn't that a little young to be starting tertiary schooling?" the Succubus asked.

"Um, well... I was something of a special case."

"Why?"

"I..."

Before he could figure out a way to avoid the question, Whitney barged past Karazelle and dumped a second pile of clothes on top of the ones Cobalt was already carrying.

"Here, try these on instead. You'll look better that whatever rags Whoretits picked out for you," she stated breathlessly, still limping from her bruised leg.

As the two began to argue yet again, Cobalt took a deep breath and stepped into the changing room, drawing the curtain behind him in an ultimately futile effort to drown their voices out. Unsure of what to do with the mass of clothing they had foisted onto him, the Incubus just set it all down on a nearby chair and began to undress.

He felt something brush against his legs.

"Why so nervous?" piped a familiar voice, one that made Cobalt's entire body freeze.

Glancing down, he saw the black cat sitting by his feet, gazing expectantly at the Incubus with its big green eyes.

"What are you doing out here?!" the Incubus hissed, keeping his voice low.

"Did you truly think me just a figment of your imagination? I told you before; I am my own being. That being said..."

It turned its gaze to the mirror on the other wall. Confused, Cobalt looked up to see that intertwined with the frame were dozens upon dozens of rose vines. His jaw fell open as that deep, uncertain fear made itself known in the pit of his stomach.

"... perhaps the chains in your head are starting to corrode," remarked the cat, hopping up onto the pile of clothes.

Slowly, Cobalt reached out with a shaking hand to touch one of the flowers. It felt so soft. So real.

"Wh- What do they mean...?" he stammered.

"Such is the crucial question. But I have a feeling you already know the answer," it responded, casually licking its paws.

Cobalt blinked. For a split second, his reflection changed. He saw himself wearing a stained white straitjacket, with shackles around his ankles, wrists and throat. A muzzle was keeping his mouth locked shut, and his eyes... they were crying.

Blinking again, his reflection returned to display him half-naked in the changing room.

"N- No... No, that's not possible. I'm safe. They told me I'm safe," he breathed.

"They said what they felt was correct. But you're a special case, Cobalt. The first of your kind to avoid your fate. But as ever, things have a habit of catching up on the unwary..."

Hopping back down onto the floor, the black cat stared into his eyes and cocked its head.

"You're running out of time, Cobalt. If you don't admit to yourself what's happening, then one way or another, the truth is going to rip itself free, likely at a most inopportune time."

"I- I am not going to wind up like all the others! I am not going to end up in the Undercroft!"

"Incupsychosis comes for you all. Even the great Brass, I imagine."

Cobalt gritted his teeth, irritated by the feline's words.

"... No, I don't need this. I don't need more bloody cryptic warnings. No more cats, no more roses, no more little notes from Devils. I'm sick of this! I'm going to go home, I'm going to plan out the rest of the month's lessons, and I'm going to do my damned job!"

With that, Cobalt turned on his heels and made to step out of the changing room, but not before the cat gave him some parting advice.

"Very well, bury yourself in denial. I'm just trying to get you to open your eyes, Cobalt. Because if you don't, this Diate is going to show you in a much more painful manner."

He tore the curtain aside and stepped out of the changing room. Away from the roses. Away from that damned cat. Away from reminders of a fate he narrowly avoided.

Outside, Karazelle and Whitney had stopped yelling at each other mid-argument and stared at their teacher, eyes wide. The Succubus smiled a lascivious smile and folded her arms, whilst the Nymph's face went beet-red as she whipped around to face the wall.

"Hot damn sugar, if you really wanted to pay us back for the date, you really should have just said so!" his purple-skinned student remarked, theatrically licking her lips as she leaned in for a closer look.

Raising a confused eyebrow, Cobalt looked down to find himself completely shirtless, with his trousers unbuttoned, unzipped and barely hanging on.

"O- Oh my- I am so sorry!"

Staggering back into the changing room, he quickly did his trousers back up and plucked his shirt and tie off the floor. Before he stepped out, however, he glanced back at the mirror.

The roses were gone.

"What are you looking so nervous for, Butterskin? Never seen Mr. Trayer's chest before?" jeered Karazelle from outside.

"Wh- What the Hell is wrong with you, Whoretits?!"

"Geez, no need to bite my head off. Just show him yours and you'll be even!"

"What?!"

"Hey, I'll do it with you!"

"NO!"

Cobalt swallowed hard and took a deep breath.

No, he wasn't going to keep worrying about this. Right now his only priority was his students and their wellbeing. It was nearly the end of the year, and he had to see it through as a teacher that knew what they were doing.

Picking out a suit ensemble that he liked the best, he exhaled slowly and stepped back out of the changing room.

"Get it together, Trayer... Get it together..."