A Mystery Girl!

The button on Kaminari’s sleeve shot off at incredible speed, embedding itself deep into the wall. Gases hissed loudly as they escaped, and an alarming crash drew everyone's attention to the sudden damage.

"Oh shit! Oh shit! My life is in danger! What do I do?!" Kaminari thought, nervously scrambling to hide his exposed forearms.

"Quick, come with me!" Sumire whispered urgently, grabbing Kaminari’s hand amidst the confusion and pulling him swiftly into the nearby storage room, shutting the door behind them.

"Nooo! Don't look at me! No! I don't wanna die—I won't be reborn again! AHH—" Kaminari babbled in panic.

"Wait a minute! Waaait!" Sumire interrupted firmly.

"Woooaah? What? I'm not dead yet?" Kaminari paused, startled and confused.

"Of course not," Sumire reassured softly. "I noticed your power when we first met."

"Then how am I not dead yet?"

"Well," Sumire explained hesitantly, "you see, I’m a special type of person. Given your reaction, I’m guessing you signed some sort of contract with someone. What was the contract?"

Kaminari scratched his head awkwardly. "Uh, if you know this much already... fine, as long as I don't die, you can know. My contract states that I can't show my power or body to humans for seven days unless I'm wearing a mask."

"I see," Sumire nodded thoughtfully.

Inside Kaminari’s mind, the Devil King stirred sleepily. "Oi! What's this smell disturbing my sleep? It feels oddly familiar. Let me think who it was…"

"So he has the Devil King sealed inside him? Good for him," Sumire thought, glancing at Kaminari’s face. Her cheeks flushed bright red as she realized their closeness. "Still… we’re alone in this room."

"Wait," Kaminari noticed suddenly, "why is your face so red?"

"H-Heatstroke! Yes! The sun is, um… very hot today!"

"We’re indoors," Kaminari replied bluntly, confused.

"I NEED TO LEAVE!" Sumire panicked internally, bolting out of the storage room without another word.

"She smelled like that cursed group," the Devil King muttered suspiciously, "but they were wiped out… perhaps I made a mistake."

"Wait," Kaminari whispered to himself, frowning. "I forgot to ask why the contract didn't activate in front of her. She did say she was special. Well, never mind, as long as I didn't die."

A moment later, Sumire returned hastily, carrying a mask. "Here I am. I brought you this," she said shyly, her eyes lowered in embarrassment.

"Thanks! You saved my life!" Kaminari gratefully put on the mask before returning to class.

The gym teacher finally dismissed the class. "Okay! Class dismissed!"

"Finally free from this hell," Kaminari sighed in relief, walking out of school.

"Wait," the Devil King spoke suddenly. "What was her name?"

"Sumire."

There was a moment of silence. Then—

"WAAAAAIIIITTTTTT!!!"

"HOLY SH—WHY ARE YOU YELLING?!" Kaminari jumped in shock.

"SHE'S A MEMBER OF THE EXECUTIONERS! THE SAME GROUP YOUR MOTHER WAS PART OF!!" the Devil King shouted urgently.

"Eh? EHHHHH?!? My mother?!" Kaminari stumbled over his own feet, crashing into a mailbox.

"Where did she go?" the Devil King pressed.

"She went home after school ended," Kaminari said, standing up and brushing himself off. A small dog nearby barked loudly at him. "But what's this about the Executioners? Even Shakazuki mentioned them."

"The Executioners were a group of twelve immensely powerful beings," the Devil King explained gravely. "Each member could defeat Kuroshin individually in one blow. They opposed my ancestors and were exterminated by hellfire. Your mother survived because fire couldn't harm her. I didn't think another member had escaped."

"I see," Kaminari said quietly, determination firming his expression. "If she knew my mother, then it's important I maintain a good relationship with her."

Upon reaching home, Kaminari stretched contentedly. "Ahhh, finally home. Time to eat and—" he began, opening the front door.

Suddenly, a transparent portal appeared in front of him, and a mysterious hand shot out, grabbing Kaminari by the tie.

"AHHHHHHHHHH!!! SOMEONE’S TRYING TO ROB ME!!!" Kaminari shouted desperately, attempting a karate chop on the hand without success. "NO NO NO—WAIIIT, I'M STILL A MINOR!!"

"Oh great. Another kidnapping," the Devil King muttered sarcastically. "Typical."

The portal swallowed Kaminari whole, leaving nothing but silence in its wake.

—To be continued