Son Of Lucifer 13

Fuyuki was as happy as a man could be by the time class had ended.

He would soon meet Kana Arima! Even if he wasn't planning on toying with her and her body, this would have already made him happy. She had been his idol since he was a young lad after all, which was funny considering she became an actual idea.

Suddenly he received a slap on the back. "Yo Senpai!" He recognized the voice instantly, it was his girlfriend, Iroha. "You look happy, did something happen?"

He chuckled. "I just talked with a senpai of ours and got something nice out of her. That's all."

Iroha raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Is that another woman?"

He nodded. "Yep. I'm talking about Mai Sakurajima. She's going to help me meet up with my childhood hero." One might say that hiding Mai from Iroha would be wiser than what he was doing.

But he wanted her to be well known. Otherwise the curse might return.

The good point of making Iroha aware of her was that she was decently popular and also definitely someone who gossiped a lot. Through some miracle of being a lonely loser, Mai had gone hidden until now, but without a doubt that would change soon.

Iroha pouted. "C'mon Senpai. I forgave you over the detective issue, but you are still on thin ice. So stop joking around."

He smirked. "I'm not joking around."

She squinted her eyes. "So you met Mai Sakurajima?" He nodded. "On this school?" Another nod. "And I'm supposed to believe you—."

"I do not know much about relationships, but from what I've heard, having trust in your boyfriend is somewhat expected." He was not the one that had replied.

Just as he had surprised Iroha, Mai had surprised her.

At first, not recognizing her, Iroha turned around and glared at his Senpai. "And you are...?" Hostility was clear in her tone.

He could understand, of course. Nothing was worse than having some stranger butt in on your private conversation with your love. Common sense aside, though, he was also surprised that Mai did that in the first place.

She definitely liked him, maybe romantically, maybe not, but affection definitely existed, he knew that for sure. He still didn't think she was the type who would do something so... forward, however. If she was, then she wouldn't have gotten herself in the original mess that was the curse in the first place.

Although maybe it was that very same curse that had changed her.

His Senpai smiled deviously. "I am Mai Sakurajima. The woman your boyfriend was talking about."

"B-but... when... h-how..." Iroha was experiencing the greatest shock of her life.

Which just made Mai happier. "Ask him. I just passed through to say a quick goodbye." She waved at him. "Goodbye, Fu-yu-ki. See you tomorrow."

He awkwardly looked back at her. "Goodbye, Senpai." Wow.

As the actress left, he was suddenly reminded that for all her loner attitude, Mai had been raised in the entertainment industry. She knew how to snub someone when she wanted to.

Iroha stared at Fuyuki's soul. "Senpai..."

"I can explain." They were just friends. That wouldn't even be a lie!

She sighed. "The detective... now the actress... I think you might be too popular for me, Senpai."

"It's insane for a loner to hear that." She was the popular one here! 

Although admittedly, maybe Fuyuki should be more aware of his now possibly growing popularity. Not only was he dating someone fairly important to the school, but he also had that little scene back when he forced people to acknowledge the bunny.

She scoffed. "You're a loner? Please. If Hikigaya-Senpai hears that, he will actually commit homicide." 

Nah, he would be too busy contemplating Mai's insane existence for that.

 

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"Still no bugs that I can see..." Fuyuki carefully combed through his room.

According to his mother, there were no visitors, but being careful was free. He couldn't afford a mistake just because the case had been solved. Especially now that Kirigiri had yet to contact him...

But maybe he should contact her instead?

He took out his phone and began typing. "Senpai seems to have been remembered. I managed to make our classmates acknowledge her existence, and things were fixed. I think. Just telling you in case you haven't realized it yet." And then he closed the phone.

Hopefully this wasn't the equivalent of poking a tiger with a stick.

He waited for a few moments and got his reply. "Okay. I will contact you about the case in the future.]" As expected, things were not yet over.

"Got it." They had handled Mai, but not Puberty Syndrome in general. Not to mention how there were Yukino's and Yumiko's disappearances to keep in mind.

Speaking of that stupid thing, though. "Hey Satan, does such a thing as the Puberty Syndrome really exist?"

"Of course it does. It must. Your... friend experienced, did she not?" The floating eyeball was looking at him as if he was an idiot.

Fuyuki groaned. "That's not what I meant. I want to know if this really is some sort of... natural rule of the universe, or a power in action." 

Satan hummed. "I see... Most likely it is the second. Though considering how powerful it is, the devil or angel responsible for it must be far too above you to be approached."

"I'll keep that in mind then..." He should have figured it.

While the power was dependent on the perception of the public, the fact that it was apparently pretty versatile made it strong. Although Fuyuki still didn't know exactly how it operated.

There must be some sort of other trigger for it, some method so the user could target specific people, right...?

He put a hand to his chin. "Would a power that targets people at random exist?" At that point it would be more of a natural disaster constantly caused by one person.

"No..." Satan reconsidered. "Well, not from a fully formed demon or an angel, but I suppose a cursed or blessed child could cause such a situation."

Fuyuki raised an eyebrow. "And what's that...?"

"A child who demonstrates powers before ever ascending. They are called cursed if those powers are that of a demon or blessed if those of an angel." He chuckled. "Many across history known for miracles are blessed children."

Immediately Fuyuki made a new theory. "Could Mai be one of these children?"

And Satan immediately squashed that theory. "No."

Well, he should have seen that coming. Since Sakuta's sister also had been affected and all, and presumably other people as well.

Satan elaborated. "First of all, these children are still human. They do not have a special charisma, nor do they have superhuman physicality or the ability to see the supernatural. Second of all, they die young."

He continued. "There is a reason why a human must transcend before they use their powers... It's so that their body can handle it in the first place. In the end, those children are just defective beings, and so if Mai Sakurajima was one, she would either be very sickly or dead by this point."

And since Mai was pretty healthy, it couldn't be her.

This was interesting information, however. Now he just needed to decide whether it was information he wished to share with Kirigiri or not. It didn't seem particularly harmful, but anything that he knew, and she didn't, was an advantage.

And speaking of ludicrous advantages...

Slowly, Fuyuki removed his most important ring. "I need to get you to buy me a book about this type of stuff. Now it's time to get to work, though." He had two special little girls to visit.

This time he would focus on Yumiko, however. She has gotten a bit too much of her fire back... he couldn't extinguish that fire now, not without good reason, but he could put it to good use.

Satan seemed to be wondering what he was doing. "Oh? Is taking off that ring all that wise?"

Fuyuki waved him off. "Don't worry, I'll put it on again soon." Definitely before he went to see them at least.

The ring he was removing was the one that gave him invulnerability up to a certain level. It was also one of the reasons he was even alive at this point, considering Yumiko and her special knife adventures.

For his gamble, however, he would need to take it temporarily off.

After carefully putting the ring on a table, Fuyuki rummaged through his belongings. Eventually he found a pair of scissors... and put it against his arm.

"Young master, self-harm is not a fun sin. If you are feeling guilty, I recommend drinking." Wow, what a wise mentor.

Fuyuki's eye twitched. "Don't worry, I'm not doing this because I feel bad, nor am I doing it for fun." He paused for a moment. "Actually, now that I think about it, I kind of am." Details.

He began pressing the scissors with more and more strength against his own skin... but the tool was actually struggling against it.

Fuyuki had already started his journey towards being a devil, and he imagined he was decently far in his transformation, so maybe this was to be expected. He felt like he was trying to penetrate through some very high-quality leather.

And just as he was about to give up on the scissors and grab a knife instead...

"Ugh..." The scissors finally cut him. After that, dragging it down and opening the wound was fairly easy.

And so the first part of his plan was over. He put back on the ring that made him somewhat invulnerable and walked towards one of the walls of his room. Putting a hand on it, he summoned that familiar door.

He entered with a smile, as usual. "Hello everyone!" For what he had been planning, it was better for one of them to comment on the wound.

Although... it would be kind of embarrassing if they didn't! It would mean he had completely misread them up to this point. Looking positively at it, at least that would mean confirming his approach was going wrong.

The only thing scarier than a mistake was one that went unnoticed.

Yukino was the first to react, slowly opening her eyes. "Fuyuki...?" She and Yumiko were asleep.

Which wasn't exactly surprising. Without going outside, they couldn't really tell what was night and what was day, so their internal clocks must have gotten all messed up. The human body was not meant to handle eternal night.

He winked at her. "Yep, it's me. Just came to check on you two." More like he had come to seduce the two of them.

"Oh." Yukino looked away, he could almost spot the blush on her face. "Thank you for coming." She was thanking her kidnapper? "We are just fine... well, more water would be nice." So that was beginning to run out, huh?

He put a hand on his chin. "I'll make sure to bring more water soon."

There was now a shy smile on her face. "Okay then..." Geez, this girl...

She was way too easy. Maybe even easier than Mai, and definitely easier than Yumiko. Apparently, Yukino Yukinoshita longed so much to feel special that she would like even a kidnapper as long as he called her a princess.

Fuyuki imagined that in a normal situation she would at least have her pride to defend herself... but did pride really exist in a place like this?

As she slowly approached him, however, she finally noticed his wound. "F-fuyuki, you're bleeding...!?" There was an equal amount of confusion and worry in her voice.

That confusion was why this plan had been so risky to implement.

An important part of this situation was how the two girls saw Fuyuki as invincible. It's what allowed him to control them. However, he had shown weakness one time in the past... when he had to admit he might die. This was him capitalizing on it.

Although his main target was not Yukino. It was Yumiko.

He had to hold back a sigh of relief as he raised his arm. "Oh yeah, I am, aren't I?" It looked bad, but not super bad.

Which was pretty much what he had been aiming for.

Yukino gasped at his blasé attitude. "Don't act like it's nothing, you idiot! How the hell did that even happen!" It was kind of funny.

In some ways, it was precisely because she thought he was invincible that she was making such a ruckus. Though that had been unintentional by Fuyuki, just a happy coincidence. If he was being honest, the bigger the wound, the better, but he had too much common sense to seriously injure himself.

Yukino's commotion also had the happy side effect of waking up his target. "Hah...? What are you two morons arguing about?" The lioness was definitely the type who woke up grumpy, huh?

He imagined the hunger they were feeling at this point didn't help much either.

Yukino glared at her. "Shut up! Fuyuki is hurt!"

And immediately Yumiko snapped into action, even with a weakened body. "The hell happened!?" It was impressive how fast she was to get onto his side.

Yumiko was a strange person.

Typically girls liked strong men... and the same went for men too. Fuyuki could have dropped some somewhat misogynistic spiel about primal instincts or whatever, but the truth is that those didn't matter. The truth is that people just like feeling safe, and so naturally they liked people who made them feel safe. And when that safety got threatened, people naturally began to worry. 

And in that worry, taking care of the person who made you feel safe was only natural. Just as it was then only natural to feel yourself getting closer to them.

That's why showing weakness was a major gamble. 

If they didn't see him as simply a hurt protector but as a wounded enemy, this could have gone... pretty bad. Thankfully, Yukino already seemed pretty far gone in her delusion.

And as for Yumiko? He never had any doubts she would fall for it. Because, as he said, she was strange, as the lioness, she was one who liked making others feel safe in the first place. A rarer type of person.

And he already knew he was part of her pack.

Fuyuki looked away. "You know. Stuff. Accidents. Things of that nature."

She poked his wound, making him involuntarily wince in pain. "Don't pull that crap on me...! I stabbed you with a knife! In the eye! And you were just fine!" Scissors clearly beat knives. It was that simple.

He pouted. "I don't want to say. It's embarrassing." Though one day confessing about his self-harm might actually turn into an effective tool of control.

The boyfriend... or girlfriend who used the threat of suicide to make sure their lover wouldn't dump them was a classic. And Fuyuki was more than enough of a bastard to do it without any hesitation.

She gritted her teeth. "Just wait here for a moment." And then went out looking for something. 

Yukino sighed. "She's the same as usual... She didn't make your wound worse, did she?"

Fuyuki shrugged. "Love is love. I would have gladly accepted it." She looked at him as if he was an idiot, but he just grinned. "Wanna touch it, princess?"

Yukino rolled her eyes. "What kind of princess do you think I am?"

"The cute type." The idiot type.

And right now that idiot was blushing and hiding her face. 

Yumiko quickly returned, now with the aid kit he had once purchased for Yukino in her hands. "Give me your arm, dumbass. Let me clean that up before it gets infected."

He let her begin treating the wound. "Thanks a bunch, Yumiko." She was being surprisingly gentle with it.

She scowled. "Don't thank me, just don't get hurt again. What are you, a child? Honestly..."

He grimaced. "I think I'd rather you call me an idiot than a child." That was another way this could backfire. If Yumiko saw him more as a little brother than a desirable figure...

Honestly, he didn't even want to think about it.

Now it was Yumiko's turn to blush. "Okay then, you idiot. You're an idiot. Is that what you want to hear, idiot? Idiot." Was this a machine gun of tsun or what?

He immediately shifted his gaze towards Yukino. "Princess, please help me. I'm scared."

She sighed. "I'm afraid I must side with Yumiko on this one. Especially since you won't actually tell us what happened..." She squinted her eyes. "S-sorry that I didn't take care of you like she's doing."

He smiled. "It's fine, don't worry—. Ouch?"

Suddenly, Yumiko had really tightened the bandage. "Why is it that when she makes a mistake, it's fine, and she's still your little princess, but when I do—."

"Shut it, Yumiko." Yukino's ice queen persona showed its face. A rare sight around here. "Maybe it's because—."

And now it was Fuyuki's turn to cut them off. "C'mon, let's not fight now. I'll be counting on both of you." His words were met with huffs from both girls.

This had gone way too well. Not only were they outright showing him their jealousy, they were also clearly taking care of him. Or at least wanting to in Yukino's case.

Maybe... maybe it was time to bring out one of his trump cards? It was risky, but he was on a wave of good fortune...

"Hey, you two, since you two helped me, I figured I have to repay it." Also, he was beginning to worry for their health, he didn't want to leave any long-lasting effects. "Yumiko, tell me something you want to eat, I'll bring it to us."

"H-hah?" She seemed in disbelief. And also incredibly hopeful.

While Yukino seemed just as hopeful. Which he imagined was due to the fact that she wasn't excluded, even if she wasn't rewarded either. Hopefully this gentle approach.

He scratched his cheek. "I'm asking you if there's anything you want to eat. And I'm not joking, ask and you shall receive..."

"I...!" Yumiko Miura's smile really was something else. "In that case I want..."