It was still very early in the morning when Zaydas returned to his dimension.

The first thing he did was take a long bath.

When he came back and lay down on his bed... His bed almost took him hostage.

After sleeping for several days on a mattress made of straw, lying on his bed, which felt like he was being hugged by angels with how soft it was... It was hard to want to free himself from such comfort.

Reluctantly, he got out of bed and got ready for school.

Downstairs, Grayfia greeted him politely: "Zaydas-sama, good morning."

"Good morning, Grayfia-nee." Zaydas asked, "What's for breakfast?"

"Asa gohan," she replied.

Yawning, Ravel came down the stairs in her school uniform.

"Ohohoho!" Caught yawning, she laughed awkwardly, saying, "Good morning, Zaydas-sama, Grayfia-sama."

"Good morning, Ravel-chan," Zaydas replied.

"Good morning, Ravel-sama," Grayfia, as polite as ever, bowed slightly as she said, "Join Zaydas-sama for breakfast."

"Thank you, I'll gladly accept," Ravel smiled a little.

***

***

In the garage, before getting on the bike, Zaydas looked deeply at Ravel before saying, "I know we're engaged, but are you really okay going to and from school with me on my bike?"

"Of course, I am," she replied, confused, "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Because we don't really know each other, despite being engaged," Zaydas answered.

"Well, even if that's how it feels to you, I've already told you—I've thought of you as my fiancé long before coming to the human world. After all, I was told from a young age that you were my fiancé," she puffed out her cheeks.

However, her act of trying to look angry only made her look ridiculously cute. But Zaydas didn't let her cuteness shake him, apologizing: "You're right, I'm sorry. I won't ask something like that again."

"Yes, don't do that again!" She put her hands on her hips but soon smiled: "But I don't blame you for it. After all, I am your fiancée, and I'm very understanding. Ehem~!" She seemed smug, as if expecting praise.

But she quickly blushed, perhaps embarrassed by her own behavior.

Seeing her blush while trying to act smug, Zaydas, who had never felt attracted to someone younger than him, felt something 'wicked' within him, pulling her into his arms and bringing his mouth close to hers.

Almost touching her lips as Ravel looked so surprised her eyes widened, Zaydas came to his senses.

"Sorry, I..." Zaydas sighed, "I have no excuses. You were being so cute I just couldn't help myself. But that's still no excuse. Forgive me."

...

If there is a cupid, Ravel felt that one had just passed by and that unfortunate being had aimed an arrow straight at her heart, hitting it dead-on. Her heart initially tightened, then began racing wildly as she grew even shyer at his words.

Ravel didn't reply. She couldn't reply.

Both his actions and even his gesture of admitting he was wrong made Ravel feel strange in so many ways...

***

***

Until they arrived at school, Ravel, who was riding on the back of the motorcycle, remained silent the entire way there.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

"Zaydas-sama." As she got off the motorcycle, Ravel didn't look at him as she said, "See you later!"

Zaydas watched her run off with a helpless smile on his face.

Of course, he didn't let his thoughts run wild. Even though she was acting differently, he had no intention of making absurd assumptions, whether positive or negative.

"Ufufu~ I saw something interesting~"

He didn't even need to turn around to know who it was.

Turning around, Zaydas said, "Good morning, Akeno-san."

"Ara, good morning, Zaydas-sama~" she said cheerfully.

"Shall we go?" Zaydas asked.

"Ufufu, you pushed your fiancée away, and now you're after me?" Akeno teased, dramatically hugging her ample chest as if on the defensive: "What a naughty boy. I think you need to be punished, don't you?"

Then, her long, slender finger slid across his face as she moved closer.

Grabbing her hand and placing her index finger in his mouth, he saw Akeno's expression shift to surprise as she pulled her hand back, quickly returning to her usual cheerful and provocative demeanor.

"What a naughty boy~" Akeno purred almost like a song in his ear.

"I won't deny it if you want to punish me." Zaydas's eyes grew more fervent. "How about we find an empty room, and then we can think about a punishment? Actually, I hate kisses, especially from a pretty girl like you. But I promise not to resist. After all, I've done something terrible and deserve to be punished! Come on, what are you waiting for?"

"Fufufu." Akeno placed her hand over her mouth, blushing slightly. "So meticulous and deceitful~"

"Akeno, Zay-kun~!" Rias, who had just arrived, called out to them.

"What a shame, Rias is here," Akeno said seductively. "Next time, you won't escape~"

Zaydas shrugged, looking relaxed. "Of course, I'll reluctantly accept."

Letting out a giggle, "Ufufufu," Akeno walked toward Rias.

***

***

Zaydas returned home alone. Ravel wanted to stay and chat with Rias.

Though that wasn't the only reason, Zaydas was understanding about it.

The fact that she still had lunch with them on the terrace was already some progress.

A random tidbit: Zaydas had been riding motorcycles since he was 15 and started going to school on one at 16. Even so, he never had issues with the police or the school. The reality was that being a Devil had its advantages...

***

***

At home, he saw Grayfia playing video games in the living room. Seeing Grayfia playing a dancing game was truly a sight for sore eyes.

A beautiful and elegant maid dancing happily to the rhythm of the music... When he pulled out his smartphone to immortalize this incredible scene, he was immediately noticed by her.

Grayfia looked like a cat that had its tail stepped on, jumping in surprise when she saw him.

Composing herself, she pretended to cough, bowed elegantly, and said, "Welcome back, Zaydas-sama. And please, forget what you just saw, okay?"

The last part of her statement sounded more like a warning than a request.

Zaydas, thick-skinned as he was, remained unfazed, letting out a chuckle as he approached. "Hahaha, there's no need to be embarrassed; it was a memorable scene. And I couldn't forget it even if I wanted to."

"Please forget it!" Her tone grew more severe.

Zaydas gave in, raising his hands in surrender. "Alright, alright. Don't look at me like that."

"I'm going to heat up your bath." Bowing slightly, she left shortly after.

Was it just his imagination, or were Grayfia's ears red?

***

***

[Wednesday, April 7]

Issei felt like he was having a terrible day.

It all started very early, in the middle of the night...

Why on earth did his mother open his bedroom door at 1 a.m. while he was in "5 against 1"?

Then came the embarrassment at breakfast.

Believe me, it's awful!

If his day wasn't bad enough already, a gorgeous MILF... – which isn't bad – showed up. She was a very charming woman in her early thirties, with a slim waist, large breasts, equally large hips, long black hair, and light-colored eyes. In other words, a first-class beauty.

Anyway, Issei was eating... Admiring the beauty of this young mother, when her child, who couldn't have been more than five years old, pointed a finger at him and shouted: "Look, Mommy! What a weird boy, hahaha, his head looks like a duck's~!"

If this were a cartoon world, Issei was sure a duck bill would have appeared in place of his mouth. And he had never thought about it before, but the shape of his hair in the shadow... It really did resemble a duck...!

The worst was yet to come. Several eyes turned toward him. Even the child's mother, while scolding her child for saying such a thing, was trying to hold back laughter. Meanwhile, other teenage students had no empathy at all, laughing loudly and agreeing.

"Yes, it really does!"

"Did he style his hair like that on purpose? Hilarious~!"

Embarrassed, Issei ran out of there, shouting, "What the helllll!"

Issei's actions as he ran while shouting only drew more laughter from the crowd.

But if his day was bad, believe it or not, it was about to get worse.

After arriving at school, he felt the urge to use the bathroom.

So far, so good. Normal.

However, let's say... He had confidence in his "bat." For a Japanese guy, he was well above average.

But when he looked at the guy next to him and sneaked a glance, he felt less manly and ended up peeing on himself slightly as he fumbled with the zipper just as he was caught sneaking a look at the other guy's "tool."

'Is this the difference between a Japanese guy and a foreigner?' Issei thought begrudgingly.

To make matters worse... It was one of the guys he hated most!

Why did he hate him? Well, there wasn't a grand reason, but it was significant enough. It was Zaydas Grimmory! That bastard...! How could someone be so handsome?

On top of that, ever since he got a haircut and came to school, even the girls in his class wouldn't stop talking about it. So frustrating!

"Damn it..." Cursing, Issei used a tissue to wet the pee stain with water.

"I think it's fine..." After seeing that it still looked a little damp, he pulled his pants up a bit higher and tugged his blazer down to try to hide the watermark.

'If someone notices, they'll think I wet myself...'

"Damn it, crap, today isn't my lucky day..."

After washing his hands while muttering curses under his breath, Issei bumped into a wall as he exited the bathroom... Or so he thought.

Stumbling backward and rubbing his nose, Issei opened his eyes only to realize he had actually bumped into the back of the boy he hated.

"Grimmory-kun..." he muttered through clenched teeth. Normally, he managed to control himself and not make a scene, but now, he even felt like cursing Zaydas.

"Are you okay?"

Hearing the gentle tone of a handsome boy asking if you're alright—believe me—unless you're a girl... or in a few other exceptions, it's not something you'd be happy about!

Still, Issei wasn't completely rude, so he replied, "I'm fine, I'm fine. It was my fault, sorry."

However, he was confused when he felt Zaydas's large hand on his shoulder.

"What do you want!?" Issei yelled in alarm. "I already apologized!"

"I just wanted to say to be more careful." Zaydas simply smiled, unfazed by his nervousness.

This only heightened Issei's alarm. He just wanted to get out of there.

"Wait."

When he turned around and was about to walk away, Zaydas called out to him.

"You dropped this."

Seeing it was his student ID card, Issei begrudgingly had to go back.

But instead of handing it back normally, Zaydas grabbed his arm and placed it in his palm.

"You're Hyoudou Issei, right?" Zaydas asked.

Confused and wanting to pull his hand away, Issei said, "First, let me go. And how do you know my name?"

"Haha, relax. I just saw it now on your student ID," he replied, spouting what seemed like nonsense. "You know, I want to be a doctor in the future, and I can diagnose a bit by feeling someone's pulse. By the way, I think you should see a doctor or at least visit the school infirmary."

He sounded serious.

"I get it, now can you let me go?" Issei demanded, growing angry and frightened.

"Yes, yes." When Issei saw Zaydas's radiant smile, he felt so unnerved that he turned and ran off down the hallway.

***

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