Chapter 13: Adapting?

“In today’s world, there’s no shortage of opportunities. Seriously, everything around you can be utilized as an avenue to earn, money! Next time you run into a problem, think, ‘How can I make some money from this…?’”

The person spouting all of this was the professor, Yuichi Minami. Among all, he was considered to be the most…passionate. Suspenders held up his dark slacks, over a taupe shirt ironed faultlessly.

From the podium at one end of the lecture hall, he orated his heartfelt lecture. He was surrounded by stepped rows of curved desks, two passageways dividing them into three sections.

And seated in the centered section, right at the halfway point, was Kuro Kurosu. Just like before, he had Irina and Hisashi sitting at either side of him. He was tempted to switch seats when he’d arrived hours earlier, but unfortunately, he had developed a sense of attachment to this spot.

Kuro couldn’t get it. The vibe around the enemy by his side felt “different.” There were means to pry directly into someone’s mind, with magic of course, but he didn’t want to take risks with Irina. Plus, he never resorted to such underhanded tactics in the first place.

If he went along with it, not only would he feel pathetic, he’d also feel like some sort of pervert who invaded people’s privacy. Everyone—including enemies—were entitled to at least that much in his book.

He cursed that side of himself.

So he resorted to thinking back to the root cause of the problem.

Why was she trying to, “have his head”?

From the historical texts, urban legends, and myths of old, it all started because of one trait all Demons shared…

A Demonic Heart.

The term does not reference the physical heart itself, but rather its nature. A simple analogy to understand the concept would be to picture a random Demon walking into a restaurant.

If said restaurant had a motto like, “We Serve the Best Food Around”, and the Demon ate at the place, deeming the food subpar to other similar restaurants…

Everyone could die.

There would be no second guessing, no contemplation, and absolutely, no hesitation. A Demon would act according to their impulses, and self-interest.

With such conduct they had gone on a rampage in this world, nearly wiping out the humans who were filled with imperfections. Sometime down the line, the Heroes showed up as the foil to that endeavor.

But these were all pieced together from the tales of ancient times. Even through magical methods, forces unknown prevented the select few with the power to look back through history from going past a certain point…

Kuro couldn’t count the number of times Yuka almost acted a bit too…rashly. He wondered how she had managed to live by his orders not to attack any humans unless in an emergency—a genuine one at that.

He made a mental log to ask Yuka on the matter. Among Demons, she was on the more “tame” side.

● ● ●

Lectures were almost over for the day, and there was a brief break until the final one. The students used this timeframe to discuss various topics, ranging from those touched upon in classes, to completely unrelated discussions involving anything else in general.

The row below Kuro’s was locked in a conversation involving a subject more like the latter’s…

“Hey, if Kuro was some fantasy creature, wouldn’t he be a vampire?”

“I don’t think so. He’d definitely be a werewolf, with that loner vibe of his.”

Not only were they within earshot, but the two girls had been speaking in a tone just loud enough to be heard. All of that, coupled with his far above average hearing, created an exceptionally mortifying experience.

Either they didn’t care if he overheard, or they were too carried away with the debate. He had reason to believe the former when they snuck some inconspicuous glances his way.

Though discussions like this were not entirely new to him, it was still an unnerving occurrence to go through.

Thud.

A girl who had been engrossed in an aberrantly thick book—which appeared to be a history book from the text Kuro could glimpse from a page—closed it firmly before laying it on the table.

“I’d say he’d make a great demon lord…”

Kuro flicked his eyes over to her immediately.

“You know, like the ones you’d see in light novels,” she continued, unbothered by the profound quiet. “Stick some horns on him, a cloak, and tada…! You have a nice demon lord.”

A head full of chestnut hair, curling at the ends, and a maroon sweater. Her eyes were a light brown and were everything but lively. Lazy would be a fitting expression. And she gave her opinion with that exact same energy.

Kuro had taken great care to memorize the names of everyone in his major, along with the faces that went along with them. He recalled her name.

Yukina Hikawa… He mulled over it some more. She’s WAY too perceptive! I’ll have to add her to my list of people to watch out for.

Said list was, of course, a mental one.

Until now, Kuro had classified her as the detached, free thinker type. Someone who did their own thing at their own pace, often trapped in their own world, too.

But she’d proven she was a lot more than that, and then…

“I…kinda see it,” one of the girls said.

Hisashi, who’d been stroking his chin while thinking, started to nod.

Irina on the other hand…

“Please do not say such things,” she stated, visibly upset. “How could he be comparable to a creature as vile as that?”

Kuro was taken aback by Irina’s outburst, to the point that he could only grin and lower his head at the sarcastic, passive-aggressive-like comment. At least that was the only way he could interpret her remark.

Yukina picked up where she left off on her book with an “Oh well.” And the other girls then tried to explain to Irina that it was just a harmless conversation, while wondering what triggered her annoyance.

Hisashi, sensing the uneasy atmosphere, sought to distract Kuro by reminding him of the movie they’d be seeing the next day…

● ● ●

All lectures for the day had ended. In a similar manner as last time, Kuro had split up with Irina and Hisashi at the gate. Right now, he was going over the ever increasing list of activities he needed to work on as he headed for his favorite place to grab a bite.

Starlucks.

Although a more appropriate term to describe it would be a coffee house, as long as they served stuff to eat as well, it qualified as a restaurant in his book, too.

He was going to get a black coffee with a sandwich—the one with whole wheat bread.

KA-BOOM!

The window of a nearby apartment complex exploded, fire creeping out of the shattered glass. Cries for help rang out. The people below scrambled for a solution.

While Kuro…

Dang, just when I was about to grab lunch, too…

From the rate at which the fire spread, Kuro knew that if nothing was done, the people trapped inside would suffocate and burn to death.

He wouldn’t want to stand idly by while they suffered a fate like that. So he proceeded to calmly assess the situation, determining how best to handle the incident.

Kuro’s assessment was cut short.

A thick mist formed on the road, obscuring the concrete beneath it. Flakes of snow fell out of the sky, but there was a sudden rising in the temperature which immediately began to melt them.

This bizarre alteration of the surroundings should have stirred more confusion. It didn’t, only bringing expressions of hope.

The fire in the window parted like a sentient entity. Three thin streaks of icy blue shot past the flames, retracting with three individuals in tow.

A man, a woman, and a wailing baby.

They were gently lowered by the chilling ethereal glow taking hold of them to the sidewalk.

“Whoa! Is it them?!”

“Let me see! Let me see!!”

These shouts of excitement from the crowd increased as the unnatural powers returned to their origins.

“It’s them! It’s really them!!!”

Everyone scrambled to the front of the ever growing barricade of spectators. No breathing soul wanted to miss a chance to gaze upon the two individuals now encircled by the crowd.

The two persons had hair that flowed like silk all the way to their shoulders. The strands were a hue of deep blue that gave off an unearthly glow…

They both wore knee-high boots with heels. One of them wore a mildly frilly skirt, with the hem as white as snow. The other had trousers, tucked into the boots. Their clothes bore the same shade of blue as their eyes which were a rich azure that gleamed in the sunlight.

With a flick of their hands the thick fuzzy scarves, colored more luxuriously than cobalt, around their necks were sent back.

Together, the two of them were the Magi-Twins, Flame & Freeze.

They were Magicians.