Chapter 2 – A Silent Stranger

Aoi sat on the edge of her bed, legs crossed, staring at the tall figure standing quietly in the middle of her small bedroom. Sunlight streamed through the window, catching the faint glow of the gem on his forehead. It wobbled slightly as he tilted his head toward her.

She took a deep breath, trying to calm her racing heart. “Okay… think, Aoi. Think! He can’t talk… he can’t talk, okay? That’s… good, right?” She muttered to herself, hugging her knees.

The Demon Lord remained still, his piercing eyes studying her every motion. He didn’t seem dangerous, at least not in the immediate sense, but the magic humming from the gem told her he wasn’t exactly… normal either.

“I-I need… a plan,” she said. “First… figure out what you are.” She bit her lip nervously, her eyes darting around the room. “Are you… evil? You don’t look evil… well, not completely…”

He raised one eyebrow, well, Aoi assumed it was an eyebrow. His expression was hard to read, but the slight tilt of his head suggested curiosity. The gem flickered again, sending a small pulse of light across the room.

“I… I’m gonna call you…” she hesitated. “Uh… Mister Gem? No… Demon Lord? That’s too scary. Um…” She pinched the bridge of her nose. “Okay, fine. Demon Lord it is. No wait! Mister Demon Lord. That has a nice ring to it.”

He blinked once, slowly, his gaze softening, almost… pleased? Aoi shivered. “Don’t… don’t look at me like that! I’m supposed to be scared!”

The gem tilted slightly, then snapped back in place, releasing a small ting. Sparks danced briefly across the walls. Aoi jumped back, clutching the edge of her bed.

“Okay, okay… wow. You are… really weird,” she muttered. “I-I need a notebook. Yes! A notebook. You can write! Or… draw! Or… do something to communicate!”

She grabbed her school notebook from the desk and thrust it toward him. The Demon Lord’s eyes followed it carefully. Slowly, deliberately, he knelt, holding his hands in front of him. Then, with a flick of his fingers, a small golden quill floated from the air and hovered above the notebook.

Aoi’s jaw dropped. “You… you can do magic! That’s… that’s amazing!”

He tapped the quill against the notebook, and words appeared neatly on the page:

Do you trust me?

Aoi blinked. “I… I guess? I mean… I don’t really have a choice, do I?” She nervously twirled a strand of hair. “I… I don’t want to hurt you. Or… for you to hurt me.”

The quill scribbled again:

Good. Then we can… live together.

“Live together?!” Aoi shrieked, throwing herself backward onto the bed. “Wait! What does that even mean? I didn’t sign a contract! I don’t have room for… living together!”

The Demon Lord stepped closer, still silent, still watching her carefully. The gem wobbled again, giving off a soft pulse of light. Papers fluttered slightly on the desk as if responding to his magic.

Aoi’s heart raced. “O-okay, okay, okay… calm down, Aoi. You can do this.” She inhaled, sat up straighter, and held out a hand as if negotiating with a very tall, very magical roommate. “I… I guess… fine. But you, stay here. Don’t leave the room. Don’t touch my stuff. Don’t... don’t eat me.”

The Demon Lord gave a slow, deliberate nod. Then he knelt beside the bed, hands hovering in front of him as if to show peace. Aoi’s pulse raced again, and she reminded herself: he couldn’t talk. He couldn’t express anything, he couldn’t confess, threaten, or charm her.

But every motion, every glance, every soft tilt of his head said the same thing: he was completely focused on her. And, strangely… that made her chest feel warmer than it should.

The gem wobbled slightly, sparks flying along the edges. Aoi leapt up. “Stop! Stop moving! It’s, oh no, it’s going to fall off!”

The gem snapped back into place. Aoi collapsed onto the bed, panting. “I… I don’t even know why I’m scared and… excited at the same time. This is insane!”

The Demon Lord remained kneeling, quiet, watching her with that soft, unspoken adoration.

“Okay,” Aoi muttered, hugging her knees again. “If I’m going to deal with this… living-with-a-demon-lord thing… I need rules. Lots of rules. Starting with… don’t move your gem when I’m near it!”

The gem pulsed once more, as if acknowledging her demand. Aoi’s eyes widened. “Oh no… he’s listening.”

She groaned and buried her face in her hands. “This is going to be… really, really, really bad.”