Yusuke

“Can I eat lunch with you?” asked Fukuyama-san shyly while standing at the end of the table with a tray of food in her hands. 

Aimi, Tonkatsu, and I simultaneously dropped our chopsticks onto our plates, our mouths hanging open and our eyes wide. It was the first time Fukuyama-san had asked to sit with us in the school cafeteria, even after the karaoke and shopping day episodes. Despite not avoiding me like she used to, she remained somewhat distant from me whenever we passed each other in the hallways or accidentally met at the end of a school day. 

“Nami,” Aimi exclaimed, standing up from her chair, beaming. “You don’t need to ask, duh. Of course, you can eat with us, silly. You’ve finally decided to join us for good.” She closed her eyes, put the palms of her hands together in a praying gesture, and mumbled, “Thank you for this miracle, gods. I’ve been waiting for this moment for weeks.” 

Tonkatsu laughed and pointed at the empty seat next to him. “You can sit here, Nami.”

Fukuyama-san nodded and complied with the suggestion, a grateful smile splashed across her face. On the other hand, I found myself extremely annoyed that she had chosen to sit with him rather than with me. Though, my train of thought was ridiculous because I was surrounded by my other acquaintances, and by acquaintances, I mean female admirers. There was no way she would find a spot near me. 

At least we’re at the same table.

“What made you decide to join us for lunch today, Nami-chan?” asked Aimi, her eyes still sparkling with joy. 

The angel shrugged and replied, “Nothing in particular. I think I have grown tired of eating alone in the garden or in the classroom.” 

Tonkatsu shot her a sympathetic smile. “We’re glad you’re here with us.”

“You should eat in the bathroom because turds belong together,” Emica declared sarcastically, looking down on Fukuyama-san, who remained unbothered.

“Does that mean you climbed out of the toilet bowl yourself after you were born?” Tonkatsu clapped back, arching an eyebrow at her. Most of our friends burst out laughing as a result. 

“Can we please not talk about shit when I am eating my lunch? It’s disgusting,” Aimi complained, sticking her tongue out. “You’re going to scare Nami-chan if you continue talking like that.”

Fukuyama-san assured, “I am fine.” She brought a spoonful of omurice into her mouth, proving that she was, indeed, fine. 

“So, how is everyone doing on the midterm exams?” Tonkatsu changed the subject, probably in an attempt to ease the dark energy emanating from Emica toward Fukuyama-san.

Aimi was the first one to respond. “I’m doing fine. I’m not worried about them at all because even if I fail them, I will inherit my father’s company one way or another.”

“But if you fail them, you will be held back, you know,” Tonkatsu pointed out. 

Aimi threw her hair back and scoffed, “The only reason I intend to graduate senior high school is because I don’t want to work at my father’s company yet. I’m not ready to burden myself with the responsibility of being the heir of one of the biggest companies in the city.”

I frowned, confused. “But you are the heir of your father’s company whether you graduate or not, aren’t you? What you’re saying doesn’t make any sense.”

Aimi threw a pea from her plate at me, which hit me right on the head. She hissed, “Why do the things I say need to make sense? Can’t I just blabber what I want? Where is my freedom of speech?”

“I don’t think that term applies here, but sure, you do you,” I smirked, chuckling.

Fukuyama-san giggled, her eyes fixed on me, causing my heart and stomach to flutter. 

Emica slammed a hand against the table, shooting the angel a murderous look. “I refuse to share my precious lunchtime with you,” she snarled before rising to her feet and stomping away from the table with her friends in tow. 

“Don’t let Emica’s behavior affect you, Nami-chan. She’s jealous because Yusuke likes you,” commented Aimi casually. 

I choked on the water I was drinking, mortified. I opened my mouth to retort, but I couldn’t find it in me to do so. Meanwhile, Fukuyama-san was blushing like crazy, giving away that she felt as embarrassed as I did.

“You even blush together. You’re so cute,” Aimi observed, clapping her hands together and giggling while looking back and forth between Fukuyama-san and me. 

“Stop it, Aimi. Now, you’re the one who is scaring Nami,” Tonkatsu scolded her, although I could sense the playfulness in his tone.

“No one is scaring no one,” Fukuyama-san remarked, the shade of red then gone from her beautiful, angelic face. She went on, “I must confess I am enjoying having lunch with you today despite Ishii-san’s hostility and the jokes at my expense.” She chuckled.

Everyone at the table relaxed, even those who were jealous of her because of me. 

“So, as we were discussing the midterm exams, I’m like super screwed because I didn’t study at all. I tried to, but I played video games instead.” Tonkatsu returned to the topic concerning the exams. 

Aimi folded her arms in front of her chest, her brows furrowed. “You always say you’re screwed because you don’t study, but you’ve never failed a single exam so far. You’re crazy smart and can memorize all the lessons in the blink of an eye.”

I nodded in agreement. “It’s true, Katsu. You’re a genius; you don’t need to study to do well on tests.”

“How about you, Nami? How are you doing on your exams?” Tonkatsu asked Fukuyama-san, who looked up from her plate and blinked a couple of times, appearing lost in the conversation. 

“Can you repeat the question, please? My apologies, but I was not paying attention to what you were saying,” she mumbled.

Tonkatsu laughed. “I asked how you’re doing on your exams. Is Mori Senior High School’s curriculum proving to be too challenging? Do you need help with your studies?” 

Fukuyama-san shrugged. “I am doing okay, I guess.”

“Do you want me to study with you? We can do it at the school library,” he offered.

I narrowed my eyes at my friend and then shifted my attention to Fukuyama-san. “So, Fukuyama-san, did your cat like the white collar you bought when we went shopping?” 

The angel’s face lit up immediately. “Actually, not, it did not.” She chuckled, the delightful sound drawing a smile from me. 

“You have a cat? Why does Yusuke know about it, and I don’t? I thought I was your best friend,” Aimi pouts. 

One of the girls at the table suddenly stood up and laid her panicked gaze on me, her lips trembling as she hesitated. “Are you da-dating that gi-girl?” She pointed at Fukuyama-san, who looked as lost as she did when Tonkatsu questioned about the exams. 

I let out a loud groan, annoyed. “My private life doesn’t concern you or anyone else.” 

All the other students but Aimi, Tonkatsu, and Fukuyama-san, gasped in unison. Their shocked expressions quickly turned into despondent ones as they lamented about how they had lost their chances of winning my heart and affection.

“I need to eat something sweet.” Fukuyama-san rose to her feet, oblivious to what was happening around us.

I instinctively grabbed my egg pudding and placed it on her tray. “Here, you can eat mine.”

“Oh, thank you,” she said, surprised. “Are you sure you do not want it? I can get one for myself.” 

“It’s fine.” 

She slowly sat down again and started eating the pudding, the joy in her dark eyes working like doses of glucose flowing into my veins. 

Tonkatsu snapped his fingers as though having an “eureka” moment. “That’s why you’ve been getting sweets from the cafeteria every day even though you hate them. You’ve been hoping to give them to Nami-chan in case she decides to join us at the table, haven’t you, Yusuke?” 

I deliberately played dumb even though what he was saying was the truth. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” I drained my glass of water. 

“Oh, my. Oh, my. Oh, my,” Aimi exclaimed, fanning her face with her hands, a stupid grin plastered across her face as she winked at me. “You’re so in love with Nami.”

I held my tray of food and left the table, the chatter about my relationship with Fukuyama-san catching my ears wherever I walked, worrying me that my stupid actions might bring even more harm to the angel. 

* * *

The end of the student council meeting had finally arrived after a long and tiring afternoon. Although the midterm exams were nothing for me to worry about, those meetings with other students to discuss important matters and being ogled by younger girls who made excuses at each and every opportunity to talk to me drained me to the core. 

 I don’t want to imagine what will happen when I become the king of the Kingdom of Demons.

The mere thought gave me a headache. If I had a choice, I would rather stay in the human realm and enroll in a university. However, my dad had already made it clear that he expected me to return to the demon realm permanently to start preparing to assume the throne once I graduated from high school.

I changed my shoes at the shoe locker, and as always, love letters awaited me in mine. Since the place was empty, I took the opportunity to rip them off and throw them into the garbage can without bothering to read them, as they did not interest me in the slightest, no matter who wrote them. 

As I approached the main gate, a desperate scream cut the air, catching my attention instantly. I looked around me, but no one was in sight, even the students who were a part of the student council with me. 

“Where is everyone?” I muttered to myself, rushing my steps. 

Another scream followed by “Help me” echoed, but that time, I recognized the voice, prompting me to run toward it, growing worried at every step. 

“Fukuyama-san,” I whispered, fearing that demons had found her. 

As I initially suspected, I found the angel surrounded by five men threatening her with knives, and the thing was, those men were half-human and half-demon, which stunned and concerned me a lot. 

“Tch. Why are the hybrids attacking the Angel Princess?” I grumbled before jumping into the middle of the circle and pushing Fukuyama-san behind me, glaring fire at the attackers.

“Prince Yusuke?” one of them gasped, shocked. “Why are you protecting an angel?”

Dammit. If only I could use my magic here. The fact that I couldn’t use magic in the human realm angered me to no end because if I could, those attackers would be burnt to a crisp by then. 

“Well, I guess I have no other choice but to fight them with my fists.” I dropped my shoulder bag onto the ground and punched one of the men mercilessly. 

“Yusuke-kun?” the angel breathed out, astonished that I was actually protecting her. By the way, it was the first time that I had heard her saying my first name, and hell, it felt so damn good. 

“I’m going to kill you all for messing up with Nami-chan,” I hissed with gritted teeth once the first man’s face hit the hard ground beneath us. 

* * *