Chapter 3

My list of priorities upon realizing there’s a demon passed out in the middle of my bedroom floor:

1. Secure all library books and personal collection books away from the demon. There’s no telling if he’ll try to summon more of those fiery gates if and when he wakes up, so I’d rather be safe than sorry.

2. Change into a comfier pair of clothes. Obviously I’m not getting any “quality time” with this demon, so there’s no point in wearing such uncomfortable pajamas. Besides, it’s a bit chilly outside, so I settle for an old hoodie and a pair of comfy jeans.

3. Finally, with the important stuff taken care of, I crouch over the demon and begin to lightly poke at his side. If he’s dead, I have no way of knowing how and where to hide the body.

“Um…you okay down there?”

There’s no response. Tilting my head, I lean in closer to get a better look at him. It’s much easier now that he’s no longer spitting out insults towards me.

His skin is pale, not as pale as my own but he still looks as though he’d burn after ten minutes in the summer sun. Trailing down from his navel to his legs, his pale skin dips into shiny black scales with hints of red. Both hands and feet are tipped with claws, each one sharp and painted black. His leathery wings are caught between his back and the floor, and to be honest I’m a little nervous to move his body to the side for a better look at them. They bleed from black to red at the edges, similar to the horns on his forehead. Both of his arms have black swirl patterns, reminding me of intricate tattoos. On top of all that, he’s got a spade-tipped tail, the same shade of red as the tip of his horns and wings.

“…You alive down there?” Still no answer, but at least his chest is rising and falling. I huff out a sigh and poke his cheek this time. “Wake up!”

Nothing. It’s like he’s dead to the world—and now he’s my problem.

I grit my teeth. “C’mon, get up—”

His eyes snap open, and my hand freezes in midair, inches away from his face.

The two of us stare at each other in silence—dark brown and deep crimson.

“…You okay?”

He bares his teeth at me in a snarl and shoves me away, his hand rough against the front of my hoodie. I land on my butt unceremoniously, glaring up at him as he pushes himself off the floor. His legs seem to be a bit shaky as he holds himself up.

“What sort of magic is this, mortal? Release me at once!”

“I…would if I could. You’re the one intruding in my room.”

“You were the one who summoned me!” he shoots back.

“I was, huh? Well, I’m not keeping you here by choice. You can leave now.”

But my words only seem to anger him even further. “Then why am I unable to leave your room?!”

Wisps of black flame begin to gather at his clawed fingertips; on instinct I throw myself in front of the nearest bookcase, my arms splayed out protectively.

“Don’t you dare set my room on fire!”

The demon closes his hand into a fist, his red eyes glimmering in the dark. “Then tell me why I am unable to return to my own realm!”

“I don’t know! I’m sorry if I screwed up the summoning, okay? But I swear, I’m not trying to keep you here on purpose! I only summoned you to lose my virginity, okay?!”

I cringe the moment the words leave my lips. Nice one, Ichika, you totally don’t sound desperate.

His eyes sharpen—oh lovely, he’s judging me too!—and suddenly he leans in close, so close until his nose nearly brushes mine.

“Reveal your wrist.”

There’s no point in defying him, even though I’m confused as hell right now. With trembling fingers, I tug back the sleeve of my hoodie, revealing my right wrist.

This whole demon idea was such a huge mistake!

“L-listen, I swear on my life, I’m not trying to hold you against your will. If I could send you back, I would.”

His lip curls as I raise my wrist up to his face. Still keeping his hands to himself, he motions for me to turn it over. I do, then show him the other one (just to be safe). He silently watches me, inspecting every inch of skin he can, before grunting low in his throat.

“…You’re telling the truth, human.”

I huff and take a step back, putting some healthy distance between myself and the demon. “I promise, I am.”

He groans then, dragging a hand down his face. Up close, I can see little flecks of black sprinkled along the bridge of his nose, matching the shade of his wings. Demons can have freckles too, huh?

The two of us stand there across from each other, with only the sound of our breathing between us. I tilt my head, watching him intently.

“You can’t…get back home?”

He snarls, but his lack of a verbal answer is all I need. A sigh bubbles up in my throat.

Lovely. Just…lovely.

I glance over at the window, where the sun is beginning to peek through the curtains. At the sight the demon seems to inch away, closer to the opposite end of the bedroom. Carefully, I make my way over and fasten the curtains together.

“…Let’s go to the living room and talk. You like tea or coffee?”

🔥

I’ve never called out of work for any other reason except for when I’m sick. But I think spending the night with a demon of all things counts as a valid reason for skipping work. Especially since said demon is currently pacing back and forth in my living room with his head in his hands.

He’s desperately trying to keep his cool, I can tell. He drags his fingers through his messy black hair so many times I’ve lost count. At first his wings were spread out, but after knocking over one too many framed photos and books, he reluctantly tucked them in. Apparently he can do the same with his horns (they just keep coming back out because he’s so agitated).

I sit cross-legged on the floor with a cup of tea, watching his little freakout silently. To be honest, I don’t even know where to begin. There are so many questions I have, so many things I want to know, and not even close to enough answers. But I don’t think my little demon friend is in the mood to entertain me right now.

One thing’s for sure: he’s stuck in this realm—which means he’s stuck with me. I can’t exactly let him wander the streets in full-demon form. Besides, I was the one who summoned him. Some part of me is convinced I’m the only one he’ll maybe—possibly—listen to. Sometimes.

I sip my tea and look up at him. “You’ll wear out my floor if you keep pacing like that.”

He growls and points a clawed finger at me. “You find humor in my state, mortal?! I’ll flay your skin from your bones!”

“And yet you haven’t, yet.”

It’s true—and he seems to realize it as I stand up. With all the threats he’s made towards me in the last hour or so of us knowing each other, he hasn’t once laid a hand on me. (Maybe apart from the shove when he first woke up, but I’ll let that one slide because he was freaked out.) Aside from that, the most he’s done is glare menacingly and point in an accusatory manner. So I think it’s safe to say he has no real interest in harming me.

Either that, or he physically can’t, since I was the one who summoned him.

Or maybe he thinks I’m the only one in this mortal realm who can help him find a way to get back home.

Neither of those options sound very good for me!

I place my teacup on the coffee table, where his own cup is steadily growing cold. I offered him some, and he just looked at me like I was crazy. Suit yourself, then.

“Listen, I don’t like this any more than you do. You’re uprooting the solitary lifestyle I’ve made for myself, you know. And while you may be a demon, this is my home. I can help you—at least, I can try to help. But we have to get along, at the absolute bare minimum.”

The demon huffs and averts his gaze, but I can see his claws retracting. His horns sink back ever so slightly as he takes a few deep breaths.

At least he’s not being unreasonable.

“…As you wish, mortal. What do you request of me?”

I glance down at my outfit, then back at him—and my cheeks begin to grow warm. “First thing’s first, you need proper clothes. I should have a few oversized shirts that can fit you… Stay put, I’ll be right back.”

He curls his lip and reluctantly flumps down on the floor, not unlike a toddler deprived of playtime. The thought almost makes me smile as I hurry back to my room.

A few minutes later, I come back carrying an armful of clothes. My brother had a bit of a growth spurt back in high school, so he gave me a bunch of shirts and sweatpants to use as pajamas. I suppose I can part with them, for the time being.

“Here, try these on. Hopefully you’re smaller than Kota…”

Well, hopefully, because even without his demon features he looks to be about six feet tall. Kota’s also tall and lanky, so maybe it’ll work…?

He turns his nose up at the offering. “Is my current state of dress not pleasing to your eyes, mortal?”

“Says the one who freaked out over my shorts an hour ago! I’d rather not have you walk around my apartment half-naked!” Nothing—so I try a different tactic: “Don’t tell me you wanna parade your body in front of a human who summoned you for sex?”

He scoffs once more, looking more annoyed than entertained at my current flustered state. (Although his own cheeks turn pink towards the end of my rant.) Even so, he yanks the clothes out of my hands and complies.

I make sure to turn my back, and I don’t look until he gives a soft grunt. The shirt is loose and the sweatpants are a bit baggy around the knees, but they work for the moment.

“Sit.” Surprisingly, he does. I follow suit and motion to the table between us. “Tea? I can warm it up again, if you’d like.”

He reaches for his cup and sniffs it, then takes a small sip. A pause, then he drinks more of it.

I blink. Cold tea is not my cup of—never mind.

“So…you’re a demon.”

“That I am.”

“An incubus, right?” He nods curtly and sips his tea again. “And I summoned you.”

“It would appear so.”

“Okay, and…you can’t leave. Why?”

His jaw clenches, but he doesn’t raise his voice this time. “Because the contract has not been fulfilled.”

“Which would be…?”

“…I’m sure you can piece it together, mortal.”

My face is hot beneath his crimson gaze. “Ah, right. Sorry.”

It’s simple: I summoned him for sex, so he’s not going away until we have sex. Quite a conundrum, huh?

“And you can’t go back to wherever you came from until it’s done, huh?” Another awkward nod and sip of his tea. “And we’re…both virgins…”

This time he looks away from me. Interesting, he gets just as flustered as I do. I didn’t expect such human emotions from a supposed sex-crazed demon.

He swallows the rest of his tea and leans back, crossing his arms over his chest. “It seems as though I’m to remain in this realm until our contract is complete.”

“Or broken.”

“There is no way to sever it, human.”

I tilt my head. “All contracts can be broken, I’m sure demonic deals are—”

This time he shows his teeth when he growls. “Demonic arts are not to be trifled with or taken lightly! Humans never take the proper precautions before selling themselves to our kind.”

The teacup shakes against my fingers. “What do you mean…?”

The demon sighs heavily, closing his eyes. “Demons take their deals very seriously. More often than not, humans believe they can be negotiated or bargained with outside the original terms they themselves have set. Demons only accept their payments from humans in either their blood, their bodies, or their lives. And I take it you don’t want to die in order to exit this contract. Correct?”

I swallow hard and shake my head meekly.

“Exactly. With that said, it appears the best course of action for myself would be to remain here, in this abode of yours.”

“Eh?!” The cups clatter as I shoot up from my seat, my hands clenched into fists. “You mean indefinitely?! You mean, live here?!”

He opens one eye, his arms still crossed over his chest. “Where else would I live?”

“Th-there’s a whole country out there! You don’t have to park your ass here for the rest of time!”

But even as the words leave my mouth, I know it’s impossible. A demon like him can’t really go out and blend in with humans and their normal everyday lives. At least here I’d be able to keep an eye on him. Whether I like it or not, I’m partly responsible for why he’s in this mortal realm to begin with.

But my independence! Gone in the blink of an eye!

“Isn’t there any other option?”

“Unless you’d prefer to fulfill the contract this minute?”

I grit my teeth and avert my gaze. The thought alone is embarrassing, especially now that I know what his personality is like. Not the stereotypical incubus caricature who’s ready to lead me through a wild night of pleasure.

At the same time, I’m grateful he leaves the choice to me. On a human level it’s sweet, but on a demon one it kills any sexual appeal.

He’s a virgin, just like me—and he doesn’t even want sex from me.

I don’t know whether I should feel insulted or relieved at that.

I heave a sigh, my hands on my hips. “Listen, I’m not good with other people. I’m kind of a lone wolf. I like living by myself, and I don’t really spend much time with my friends outside of work or major holidays. I haven’t had a proper roommate for about four years now. And besides, this apartment isn’t really meant for two people to live in.”

“I don’t need much room, the closet will suffice.”

I blanch. “That’s not the point! A-and get out of there!”

But he’s already on his hands and knees, halfway inside one of my closets. I groan and nudge his leg with my slipper.

“It’ll be too cramped in there.”

“I see no problem.”

He sits there in the dark, seemingly unbothered by the shirts and dresses hanging on the rack above him. He tucks his knees into his chest and tilts his head.

I can’t win this argument.

Another heavy sigh. “Okay, fine. You can stay here for a bit, alright? At least until we can figure out how to get you back home.”

He still seems doubtful, but I don’t let it dampen my spirits. One way or another, I’m getting my lovely, lonely life back!