Chapter 04

I was expecting another struggle, if not a confrontation at least. But, Lily, or the demoness that she has transformed into, simply stood a couple of steps away from me.

“It’s late, let’s go to bed”, she reiterated sweetly.

Her face wore a warm inviting smile, quite a contrast to the previous predatory looks she had given me twice before.

This made me doubt if I’m awake, but I kept my guard up.

“Who are you? What do you want?” I asked.

Lily cocked her head slightly sideways, acting confused.

“What do you mean? It’s me, Lily”, she replied.

“Screw you, I know you’re someone else”, I countered.

She reacted poutingly, “That’s mean, don’t you recognize your own girlfriend?”

“The fact that you claim you’re my girlfriend means you’re not Lily at all!”

Her eyes widened and brightened. Literally.

They glowed even brighter red when I added, “She’s not my girlfriend!”

“I see”, she grinned, finally dropping her act. She started chuckling and eventually laughing maniacally like an evil person would in movies. All while saying “I see!”

Once she quieted down, her eyes trained on me and gave me a playful look. For what, I don’t know as she remained silent.

“Get out of Lily’s body now”, I said to her.

“I don’t wanna”, she answered calmly but bluntly.

That took me aback. I was expecting something like that possession scene from the movie The Exorcist where her voice changes demonically and she becomes aggressive. But the reply was as casual as you can get like she was having a normal conversation with Lily's voice.

“What do you want? What are you doing in Lily’s body?” I asked.

I wasn’t sure what I should be doing, but I figured I should at least try to get some information.

“I’m curious about that as well, you know? I was in the underworld minding my own business and I suddenly found myself in the human realm inside this girl. From which grimoire did you learn to summon me?”

“We didn’t use any grimoire. We didn’t even intend to summon you at all!”

She laughed again. “So you’re telling me I’m only here by accident?”

I told her what we were trying to do and the concoction Lily had made.

“I see, the unholy amount of mayonnaise probably did it”, she commented.

I wasn’t sure what to make of it, though.

“We did not want to summon you. Return to where you came from and leave us alone!”

“Huuhhh?” she reacted irritably at what I said. Her eyes glowed more intensely and strong winds blew inside the combined living and dining room. “You do not get to command me! In fact, I should mete out punishment for the two of you for bringing me here without reason!”

It was intimidating, but I kept to my seat, holding on to a bowl of garlic that was in front of me so they wouldn't get swept away by the winds.

The demoness then calmed down and said, “Although, I may have come from the underworld, but I am not that cruel. I’m willing to give you a chance.”

“W-what do you mean?”

“I’m willing to leave quietly, but with a condition.”

I thought about it for a moment, and asked to confirm, “You’re going to leave without doing anything else to us?”

“That’s right.”

“And by ‘us’, I mean Lily and me?”

“That’s right, I will leave this girl I’m currently possessing and you unharmed.”

She wore a confident smile the entire time so that made me distrustful of her. I felt hesitant to hear the rest. But, feeling I had to, I asked, “What’s the condition?”

“Make this girl fall in love with you in six days”, she stated.

That took me by surprise. I was expecting something more sinister, so I had to ask, “W-what?”

“You heard me”, she said as she took a step forward. But, she stopped when she noticed I was still holding the bowl containing the bulbs of garlic that I had intended to make a wreath of before I fell asleep. Moving her eyes back up to meet mine, she continued, “Capture this girl’s heart, and you’ll be rid of me.”

“I-I don’t get it. Why that?”

“You see, I’m currently residing in her heart”, she explained. “Once you fill it with love, then I will no longer have any room inside her. In a sense, you would be exorcising me out of her through the power of love.”

“You’re pulling my leg”, I replied. It sounded a bit cheesy and dubious to me. Still, I had to ask to confirm, “What guarantee do I have that you’re telling the truth?”

“None”, she said coyly. “So you’re just going to have to trust me.”

I then fell silent. Indecision took over me as my intuition was telling me I shouldn’t believe a word the demoness was saying.

“What’s the catch?” I asked, deciding I should learn more about the condition.

“The catch is I get to eat your soul if you fail”, she replied.

“What about Lily?”

“Of course, I get to possess her for as long as she lives.”

“Why six days? Seems a bit difficult considering the stakes, can’t you give me a bit more time?”

“Oh, but where’s the fun if there’s no challenge? As to why six days, no real reason.”

So it was arbitrary, I kept to myself. I felt like it would be pointless to complain.

“Does it have to be me?”

“No”, she answered, sounding surprised. “But would you really want that? Aren’t you in love with this Lily girl?”

“...”

I didn’t give an answer.

But, she was correct.

“That’s why you taste so delicious”, the demoness continued as she took a couple more steps towards me.

Rather, I just noticed this right now, but she wasn’t exactly walking. All of the ribbons that I bound her with were still there, so there was no way she could take a step properly.

She was floating.

“Especially while I’m in this body”, she continued. She then stopped right in front of me. Licking her lips, she looked down on me as I remained on my chair and said, “I can really taste your feelings for this girl.”

I panicked and shoved the bowl of garlic right to her face. She had given the impression she was avoiding it earlier, which is why I thought it could be of some use against her.

However…

“Just so you know, I don’t have a strong aversion to garlic”, the demoness said as she moved the bowl away from her face, revealing a bemused expression. “I mean, I don’t like the smell, but that’s it, so I would appreciate it if you get them away from me before I change my mind about the offer.”

I quickly took the bowl away from her as soon as she said that and placed it at the far end of the table.

“Good boy”, she said, smiling. “Now, going back to the topic, I don’t mind if you let this girl fall in love with someone else. I don’t mind it at all!”

“In fact, I would welcome it”, she continued, moving her face close to mine. “I can only imagine how much flavor will be added by the despair and the jealousy you would feel in seeing this girl getting along with another boy.”

It sounded like she was taunting me.

“Does it make a difference?” I asked.

“For you? You already know the answer to that. For me? Having this girl fall in love with someone else would mostly add a bitter taste to your soul. But, if you choose to pursue her, then there will be sweetness to it as your feelings for her grow as you spend more time together, plus a bitter aftertaste caused by the heartbreak of being rejected.”

I wasn’t expecting that answer so I couldn’t react.

“Personally, I prefer the latter”, she added. “I like bitter flavors, but I love the combination of bitterness and sweetness more.”

She then placed her lips onto mine. Our faces were already so close as we were talking that I wasn’t able to stop her, or at least dodge.

Fortunately, I was able to push her away quickly. But, it seems like Lily has returned to normal.

With a confused look on her face, she asked me, “W-what happened?”